Exhibitions

Elspeth Pratt
Nonetheless

March 12 to April 20, 2008

Exhibition curated by Kathy Slade
Opening Reception: Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 7:30pm

The Charles H. Scott Gallery is pleased to present Nonetheless, a solo exhibition of new work by Vancouver-based artist Elspeth Pratt.

Pratt’s sculptural works use common building or household materials to engage complex ideas of architecture and social space. Her materials question ideas of value and permanence associated with sculpture, while her subject matter negotiates the line between abstraction and representation.

The impetus for the new work draws from Pratt’s focus on public space created by architecture and its relationship to those who inhabit it. Her diverse references in Nonetheless range from architects Shigeru Ban and Le Corbusier, to Brazilian favelas, to a building under construction at Vancouver’s Fir Street and Broadway.

Over the twenty-five years that Pratt has been practicing, she has developed a thoughtful sculptural language. Meaning is made through the manner in which chosen materials are combined, often pitting structure against softness.  Pratt forgoes the materials’ common use to suggest new possibilities. As the exhibition title implies, there is more than one way to accomplish something. It is here, in the potential for other possibilities, that Pratt situates herself.

Elspeth Pratt has been exhibiting since 1983. She has had numerous solo exhibitions including shows at the Contemporary Art Gallery, YYZ  (Toronto), and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (Lethbridge). She has exhibited in group shows in Canada, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and Italy; among these are Weak Thought at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Architettura: Astriazione in Rome, and Contingent: Eva Hesse, Elspeth Pratt, and Martha Townsend at the Dunlop Art Gallery. Pratt is the recipient of numerous awards and grants including the VIVA Award in 1993.

L to R: Installation View.
Elspeth Pratt, Close the door behind you, 2006. Wood, corroplast, cardboard, polystyrene. 29" × 32" × 8".
Elspeth Pratt, Moveable Feast, 2008. Wood, paint, can. 29" × 50" × 27" d.
Elspeth Pratt, Lucy House, 2007. Cardboard, underlay. 71" × 132" × 17". Photo: Scott Massey.

Elspeth Pratt, Sketch 2, 2007. Paper, vinyl. 9" × 25". Photo: Scott Massey.

Elspeth Pratt, Unrelated, 2007. Wood, cardboard.
17.5" × 108" × 6.75" d. Photo: Scott Massey.

Elspeth Pratt, Moveable Feast, 2008. Wood, paint, can.
29" × 50" × 27" d. Photo: Scott Massey.