Richard Putz

This installation by Richard Putz exemplifies the CAG's commitment to present new and innovative work by Canadian artists. It also offers the opportunity to comment on the development of an artist who studied in this region, at the University of Victoria and who is now living and working in another milieu, San Francisco. Vancouver is often the stepping off point for artists; many move to other major Canadian or American cities to find a stronger commercial market for their work or to take teaching positions. In this and future exhibitions the Contemporary Art Gallery would like to bring artists back to this region to provide a broader historical context for Vancouver and to also explore how the various cultural, political, social and economic environments contribute visually and conceptually to their work.

The use of materials for Putz has always been extremely important. They reflect modern building and construction as well as contrasts: glass-concrete, steel-wood, fragile-resistant, flexible-rigid, soft-hard, rough-smooth, linear-massive, light-heavy and inside-outside.

Putz employs these materials to make metaphorical reference to landscape, cyclic patterns, autobiographical statements and social concerns. The horizontal plane is often used to suggest the earth's mantle or table; objects are placed above and below the surface to reflect his notion that there is a fundamental unity between what is under the ground, the surface of the ground and what rises above the surface (both man-made and natural, i.e. buildings and mountains). Cycles are evident in the recurring pattern of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of his work. The labour intensive aspect of his installations allude to his optimistic conclusion that energy channeled in a positive direction can bring about the reconstruction needed in our present environment.