Feature ~ Blog

Q & A with Sarah Merry - Founder of the Parca Biennale

Please describe who you are and what Parca is.

I am a Toronto based visual artist and teacher.  I studied painting and drawing at NSCAD, OCAD and the Slade School of Fine Art in London, UK.  Currently, I run a small painting school from my home, the Yorkville House Studio, where I coach painters at all levels of artistic development.

The Parca Biennale is a biannual exhibition that I founded which is mounted in New York, presenting the work of emerging and mid career Canadian artists.  Essentially, this biennale is one of my dreams to help put Canada on the proverbial cultural map. Linguistically, the word Parca in French translates to "by this" or "by ca", ‘ca’ being short for Canada.  “Parca” is also a play on ‘parka.’

The inaugural exhibition ran from June 28th to August 9th, 2007 at 511 Gallery, 529 west 20th St. #8W, in Chelsea, Manhattan and included the ‘plein-air’ energy flow paintings of BC artist, Jeremy Down, the clay organisms of Ken Gangbar, the gestural, intuitive, multi-layered abstractions of Margaret Glew, instructional photography and object-pairings from Chloe Lewis, the abstracted urban landscapes of Gideon Tomaschoff, the stark humanism of Montreal photographer, Elene Tremblay, the lavish dreamscapes of painter Jennifer Wardle and my text message mandalas.  It was paramount to celebrate their work:  The poetry which each artist has developed was undeniable to me and I felt strongly that they deserved a larger audience. 

Why is it important to create this show in NY?

New York is one of the world's art centers.  It boasts a thriving art-loving community from creators to curators to collectors and critics.  Also, there is a manageable proximity to Toronto, easing the transportation of all the work.  Dreams come true in the Big Apple, art dreams in Chelsea, the unofficial gallery district.  It seemed to me that 511 Gallery also had a similar vision for exploring what is possible.  Of all the galleries I researched, visited and met with in the summer of ‘06, it was the 511 space, their enthusiasm for the project and the click of energy that confirmed we had a match.

What was the experience like throwing this first event in NY?

It was a phenomenal load of work and well worth it.  There were hiccups as with any event of this size, but you have to roll with it and deal with them - it's part of the experience.  The reception itself was a fantastic success!  There was an impressive attendance with our High Consul General, Dan Sullivan and Jeff Breithaupt, our Cultural Affairs officer from the Consulate, fellow artists, CBC radio press, members of the Canadian community now living in New York, family and friends who flew from Canada - all contributing vibrant energy.  As they say, there was a buzz in the air. 

How did you find the artists and why was it important to celebrate their work in particular?

I knew all but one artist, Elene Tremblay.  Mara Miller, 511 Managing Director, showed her work to me at our meeting; it was a brilliant fit with the artists I had invited.  I have known all of the other artists and their work for some time. 

Jeremy’s paintings have grown into these lyrical rhythmic sweeps of land and sky.  He infuses his work with reverence for his natural surroundings in a fresh and gracious manner.  They’re invigorating, beautiful works. 

I met Jennifer through a friend, and instantly saw what an artist she is to the core; unfathomably creative, she painted ethereal spaces illuminated by chandeliers and floating roses that read like delicate regal visual poems.  They reminded me of abandoned extravagant interiors, memories from a delicate and theatrical place. 

I first met Ken through an art tour led by Betty Ann Jordan at a community studio.  Ken, like Jeremy, is profoundly impacted by his natural environment, so all things organic seemed to inspire Ken.  There is playfulness, simplicity, and attention to design that comes naturally to Ken.  This combination and mastery of materials always impressed me. 

As does Margaret’s work; I first showed her paintings in 2003 at Coop, a co-operative gallery I created and directed for emerging artists.  Margaret knows paint.  Natural balance, gestural texture, exquisite tension, easy movement, fleshy vulnerability – she expertly weaves a historical thread of abstract expressionism into contemporary painting practice. 

Chloe Lewis and I worked together at an arts retreat, eight years ago.  Chloe’s philosophical inquiries translate stunningly into her work.  She creates photography-object installations that require critical consideration from the viewer; and this is so valuable to a culture that is drowning in mindless immediate gratification.  She expertly concocts a marriage of images that give you cause to pause.  Her provocative wit wakes the senses. 

Gideon and I went to OCA together almost 15 years ago.  He is another painter who has demonstrated remarkable skill with his medium.  Although his paintings are enormously physical in application with the use of sanding tools and mediums to interrupt the surface, what he creates are turner-esque abstract urban histories.  This dichotomy fascinates me: layered surfaces, bruised and battled, only in the end to reveal epic tenderness. 

Elene’s work struck me immediately.  She boldly recreates in her photographs that which she feels compelled to investigate: displacement, homelessness, poverty, wealth, emptiness.  There is sophistication in her delivery, I feel, that bespeaks her success:  her work does not bare the bling of overtly constructed shock; rather, it stares unapologetically, demanding our attention, consideration and possible transformation.

What an inspiration to see this group take the initiative and create both a collective and individual course of success.  When I get excited about art, as I do with these artists and many others, I want to live it out loud. I want to wake the world up to the abundance of gifted creators here in Canada. 

How did you get the Embassies on board?

We have a Canadian Consulate General in New York.  I was clear and committed to offer an invitation for their involvement.  After researching and mapping out the work, I met with Jeff Breithaupt, cultural affairs officer at the Consulate.  I told him about the project, my background, my vision, Parca's various stages, that it was going to be a phenomenal success and then invited the consulate to take part.  It was a brilliant meeting; we were both clearly excited about it.

What are your plans for the second Parca? What do you think you'll do different?

The Parca Biennale '09 is going to be another remarkable exhibition!  Red dots, gallery offers, critical praise and national attention – that’s what we’ll see in ‘09.  I have five artists in mind thus far, whose work I am keen to see share a space.  What will be different?  Ideally, this time we'll have financial support, broader promotion in New York, TV news coverage at the reception and reviews in art publications.

What do you feel councils could do raise the awareness of Canadian artists internationally?

My broad brush answer: Increase the publicity, increase funding, and create council branches of international media agencies specifically dedicated to promoting Canadian art around the globe. 

And while I’m at it….

1. Let’s see a gorgeous explosion of Canadian visual art in corporate collections as well as lobbies of banks, hotels and public spaces worldwide.  Then have the explosion shared and reported in the media. 

2. Councils could perhaps offer public recognition as a collectors' incentive. 

3. Get it out there.  Cover the international exhibitions showing Canadian work, in local presses.

4. Within Canada, share more news of what Canadian artists are doing abroad; TV and the internet are the leading mediums of mass communication, so let's see the artistic component duly represented.  Surely art and hockey can share prime time?!  CBC and YAHOO homepages could carve out a little space for fine arts news?

To quote Marianne Williamson, " Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure….your playing small doesn't serve the world."

Vive l’art!