Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline’s work consists of a series of figurative oil paintings that take the format of classical portraiture as their point of departure. The paintings focus on the depiction of male figures and oscillate between modes of representation and abstraction. They are produced using a method close to that of collage, whereby disparate image fragments are brought together within the field of painting. These images are harvested from a variety of sources including mass media, historical painting, and private photos. The image fragments are subjected to an array of painterly processes, which are similarly borrowed from a diverse spectrum of formal languages. By bringing found images into the material field of painting, Kaktins-Gorsline debases the images and re-presents them as malleable and incomplete. The artist states, “in foregrounding process and deep play, my intent is to open up both the traditional depictions of subjectivity and painterly production into a new space of possibility.� Kaktins-Gorsline lives and works in Winnipeg, Canada. He recieved his MFA from Columbia University in 2008. Recent exhibitions include a solo show at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Brandon, Manitoba and inclusion in group shows at Deitch Studios, Long Island City, New York and Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal.
Bowwitch 2008 Oil on canvas 60 x 48 in. 3758
Comedian(blk) 2009 Oil on canvas 60 x 48 in. 3759
Folie 2009 Oil on canvas 60 x 66 in. 3760
Untitled 1 (hd) 2009 Oil on canvas 24 x 20 in. 3763
Untitled 2 (hd) 2009 Oil on canvas 24 x 20 in. 3764
Untitled 3 (hd) 2009 Oil on canvas 30 x 24 in. 3765
Untitled 2009 Oil on canvas 64 x 57 1/2 in. 3798
Dustr 2009 Oil on canvas 60 x 64 in. 3799
Elloh 2008 Oil on canvas 60 x 48 in. 3439
Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline
Born: 1980, Winnipeg, Canada Lives and works in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada EDUCATION 2008 Master of Fine Arts, Columbia University 2006 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honours, University of Manitoba SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2009 2008 2007 2006
Watkins Corporeal, Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects, Toronto, Ontario Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline, Heather James Fine Art, Palm Springs, California Brandon Oh!, Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Brandon, Manitoba A Warmer Lot, Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects, Toronto, Ontario Myoclonic Jerks, Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects, Toronto, Ontario
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2009 The Phoenix Art, The Renewed Life of Contemporary Painting, Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal, Canada The Open, Deitch Studios, Long Island City, New York, USA 2008 The New Akademiks, Galarie Schuster, Berlin, Germany. New York School, Rohrer Fine Arts, Laguna Beach, California, USA Subconscious City, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba 2006 Art vs Real Life, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2005 Another Other, Cooper Gallery, University of Dundee, Scotland Youth Group, Fifth Parallel Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada The Retirement Show, Outworks Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Just Filling Space, Outworks Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada BIBLIOGRAPHY Enright, R., “Making Connections, Taking Connections Appart”, Border Crossings, issue 111 Carte Blanche, V.2: Painting, Magenta Foundation, 2008 Subconscious City, (catalogue), Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2008 Laliberte, M., Carousel Magazine, B-2006 Enright, R., “Border Views” and “Artist Pages”, Border Crossings, issue 98 COLLECTIONS The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Gallery One One One, U of M, Winnipeg Art Gallery of South Western Manitoba, Brandon
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