Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Beaudette, Catherine |
Title |
Declining Empires |
Accession # |
996.13.36 |
Object Type |
painting |
Date |
1993 |
Medium |
gouache, ink, watercolour |
Support |
paper |
Dimensions |
H-101.5 W-144 cm |
Description |
Mirroring the role of Natural History and Archaeology Museums , Catherine Baudette's work plays off of the many nostalgic and romantic associations with nature, culture, and the preservation of the past. As the traditional museum paradigm shifts to include new methodologies of analysis, she is compelled to study material culture from a non-scientific and non-academic perspective. This piece is from a much earlier point in her career demonstrates a burgeoning interest in the old and the new with flashy high-rises from a downtown business district set against a rusty-looking industrial tower. Through the accumulation of specimens, and artifacts, she collects, catalogues, and (re)presents these objects in drawings, paintings, and installations. In her practice, Beaudette attempts to dismantle codified systems of knowledge and classification, exchanging them for new taxonomies that challenge existing categories. Biographical Information: Beaudette was born in Montréal, Québec and currently divides her time between Toronto, and Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Her practice stems from both places where she collects artifacts and specimens that function as the basis of her drawings, paintings and installations. She studied painting in Toronto and Florence, Italy and has exhibited her work in Canada since the mid 80's. In 1998 she received an MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Catherine is the founder of Loop Gallery in Toronto as well as an associate professor at The Ontario College of Art and Design. Regular travellers might be familiar with Toronto-based artist Catherine Beaudette's work as her "Global Cities" series of urban landscapes was exhibited at Pearson Airport in 2012. |