Form(er)
May 7 – August 28, 2021
Former
form· er | \ ˈfȯr-mər
adjective: coming before in time
noun: one that forms
The Manitoba Craft Council is pleased to present Form(er), a solo exhibition of new work by Carissa Baktay. Curated by Jenny Western, this exhibition features a series of works in glass and horse hair. “Both glass and horse hair have been used as utilitarian and artistic materials for millennia but are often over looked as a commonplace material we no longer notice, or in the case of horse hair, an unsightly animal byproduct. This exhibition seeks to present these materials in an altered and beautiful state. Echoing one another aesthetically, this partnership inspires new ways fo looking at ancient materials.” ~Carissa Baktay
Carissa Baktay is a multi-media sculptor, sharing her time between Iceland and Alberta. As an experienced glass-maker, she has earned degrees from Alberta University of Art, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Universidade de Nova Lisboa. Using experimental technologies and mediums combined with time-honoured glass-making methods, she has been invited to work in studios in Bulgaria, Norway, Finland, and Portugal. Recently her work has been recognised with multiple grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, the Icelandic Artists Association, the Icelandic Design Fund and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Her process-based practice is deeply connected to material and memory and uses glass-making as part of her deconstruction/construction process. By collecting, repurposing, and transforming materials, she transforms their presence in space and presents a new poetic material understanding that shares the borders between art, craft, and design.
Jenny Western is an independent curator, writer, and educator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She holds an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Winnipeg and a Masters in Art History and Curatorial Practice from York University in Toronto. While completing her graduate studies, she accepted a position at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon where she held the position of Curator and later became the AGSM’s Adjunct Curator. Western has curated exhibitions and programs across Canada, and she makes up one-third of the Sobey Award nominated art collective, the Ephemerals.
Form(er) was made possible through the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and Winnipeg Arts Council.
While the gallery is currently closed to the public, you can view a digital tour of the exhibition with the artist and curator, as well as a panel discussion related to the exhibition, online here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ManitobaCraftCouncil
Regular Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, Noon-4pm
Contacts:
MCC Programme Coordinator: Katrina Craig
204.615.3951
