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Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Jesse Boles: Crude Landscapes at the Art Gallery of Hamilton

Jesse Boles graduated from Ryerson University in Photographic Studies in 2005 and has been gaining attention in the Toronto art scene and beyond for his decadent images of 21st-century industrial landscapes.

Jesse Boles Crude Landscape
Jesse Boles, “Crude Landscape #104”, 2005. C-print, 38 X 45 inches. Courtesy: The Artist and Edward Day Gallery, Toronto

Crude Landscapes is an ongoing series of large-scale photographs that depict industrial sites on the ports of Lake Ontario as well as in Alberta. Boles approaches these scenes as contemporary landscape, without judgement or agenda. His compositions consciously build upon the tradition of 19th-century landscape painting, and impress us with the sublime scale of modern industry. By photographing many of his scenes at night or dawn, when natural light is dwindling or gone, Boles also calls to mind cinematic scenes: his images often trace zones of industrial activity through the artificial light that illuminates the sites. The lengthy exposures needed to make the photographs in these conditions record the movement of light over the image, and evoke the experience of watching them over time.

Boles has been working in the Hamilton area to expand his Crude Landscapes series with new photographs shot through the spring and summer, 2009. The resulting new work is shown for the first time at the AGH this fall. In light of the recent developments at the steel factories in Hamilton, this exhibition offers a chance to reflect on the way that these landscapes contribute to the history and mythology of the city, and how their loss or diminishment will affect Hamilton’s rapidly changing identity.

Open through January 17, 2010.

Curated by Melissa Bennett and Sara Knelman.

Founded in 1914, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is Ontario’s third largest public art gallery and owns one of the finest collections of art in Canada, featuring over 9,000 works of art including historical European, historical Canadian and contemporary art. Its recently-renovated and award-winning premises present exhibitions that change three times a year.

Art Gallery of Hamilton
123 King Street West
Hamilton, ON L8P 4S8
T: 905-527-6610
F: 905-577-6940

www.artgalleryofhamilton.com