​​​​Chrysanne Stathacos
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opening reception: 13 April 3 - 5pm
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Unit 17 is pleased to present Silks, a solo exhibition by Chrysanne Stathacos. The exhibition includes a range of eight textile works hung freely throughout the gallery, printed and assemblaged between 1995 to 2016, and produced in Toronto, Canada as well as New York City, USA.
In the 1990s, Stathacos developed an artistic alter ego named Anne de Cybelle, who was enraged by the exclusion of women artists in the art historical canon. Cybelle was part self-portrait and part activist, asking fundamental questions about how we see art history, conventional time, identity, and patriarchal social conventions. The works included in this presentation are a result of this critical inquiry.
For decades, Stathacos has printed on surfaces using intimate materials such as hair, handmade lace, and condoms; as well as organic materials such as ivy, cannabis, and roses. Through her careful and repeated patterning she critically reflects on a history of vulnerability and loss, and transforms its remnants into poetic compositions that reflect on spiritual imagery.
The materials used are a kind of ancestral archaeology, resurfacing silks and lace, among other materials, used to print with or on, all passed down through the matriarchal lineages of the artist’s family over generations. The artist’s family kept all materials, and Stathacos has now inherited these objects, reinterpreting them into her own visions that hold significant meaning surrounding memory, intimacy and unification. Through these works, Stathacos explores loss as a means of reclaiming hope.
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A single assemblage-based work is included in the exhibition. Titled Rose Gloves (2016), it is made using heirloom gloves, handmade lace as well as printed lace on canvas. The work literally points back to itself through the considered gesture of the glove, engaging the viewer to consider this multiplicity of layered histories. The incorporation of archival materials goes beyond nostalgic gesture; instead becoming potential guides for the future.
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Stathacos’ practice has always been related to printmaking and collage, unfolding the idea of the impression whether capturing a leaf or an etching plate. These actions of imprinting or collaging engage in a direct juxtaposition, melding worlds and bridging ostensibly disparate materials. Stathacos describes herself as a “collagist,” stating that most contemporary artists are collagists even though they might not paste materials side-by-side. By their very nature, artists take varied information and images, adjusting these preexisting conditions in how they relate to materials, and see the world, into new forms and terms. “It doesn't always have to be cut and paste,” states Stathacos, who goes on to articulate that she is “not only a collagist but also a performative collagist because the idea of the action is of great importance in these works, holding performance, gesture and collage as one.”
Chrysanne Stathacos (b. 1951, Buffalo, USA) is a multidisciplinary artist of Greek, Canadian and American origin. She studied fine art at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, USA (1969-1970) and at York University, Toronto, Canada (1970-1973). Her work has encompassed print, textile, performance and conceptual art. Stathacos is heavily involved with and influenced by feminism, Greek Mythology, environment, eastern spirituality and Tibetan Buddhism, all of which inform her current artistic practice.
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Stathacos is widely known for her public interactive artworks which include 1-900 Mirror Mirror (1993) which was first presented at Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, USA and traveled to Art Metropole, Toronto, Canada as well as Franklin Furnace, New York, USA. The artist also creates performances—one of which was included in the public program The Parliament of Drawings in documenta 14—as well as paintings and prints that have been featured in numerous exhibitions. Recently, she created her Rose Mirror Mandala Series for exhibitions curated by AA Bronson at Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg; Grazer Kunstverein, Graz, both Austria; and KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany. In 2018, her major work, The Five Mirrors of the World, was included in the 2nd edition of The Sculpture Park, the Madhavendra Palace, Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur, India.
Stathacos has exhibited for over 40 years in museums, galleries and public spaces internationally. She was included in the 13th Gwangju Biennale / Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning directed by Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala. Solo exhibitions and projects include A Space, Mercer Union, Chromazone, Art Metropole, Gallery TPW and The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, all Toronto, Canada; Creative Time, Participant Inc. and Situations, all New York, USA; the Breeder, Athens, Greece. She has been included by numerous institutions in group exhibitions including the ICA, Boston, USA; MoMA PS1, New York, USA; Oakville Galleries,, Canada; Yokahama Triennial, Japan; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; and documenta 14, Athens, Greece.
Stathacos’ works are included in public collections including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; Art Bank, Ottawa and the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada. The Chrysanne Stathacos fonds is located in the Archives and Library, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Stathacos currently lives and works between Athens, Greece and Toronto, Canada. She was long listed for the 2024 Sobey Art Award.
