Gareth Lichty: Thrum

Toronto, On – June, 24, 2008. Peak Gallery is pleased to announce Gareth Lichty’s debut commercial gallery exhibition Thrum. The word “thrum” signifies an unwoven end of a warp thread, or a fringe of such ends left in a loom when the finished cloth is cut away. It also signifies a sustained humming sound that one might make while weaving. Lichty’s emergent practice has quickly risen to prominence through his astounding and mature use of banal and ubiquitous materials to render large-scale and elegant sculptural objects.

This exhibition is the world-premiere showing of two works that together contain over 20 kilometers of plastic tubing that is re-configured, woven, hooked, cut, and tied. They manifest thousands of hours of sustained and careful labour. Lichty’s reconfigurations, derive in part from his suburban middle-class upbringing, and make reference to the traditions of monumental and modernist sculpture while providing a wry critique of excess and the consumer world.

Thrum opens July 10th from 2 to 8 pm at the Morrow Avenue Complex and coincides with the annual Summer Party hosted by Peak Gallery, Olga Korper Gallery and Christopher Cutts Gallery. Peak Gallery is located at 23 Morrow Avenue, Toronto. The exhibition continues until July 31st.

Gareth Lichty studied Fine Arts at York University in Toronto and Sculpture at Leeds University in England. He has exhibited internationally and nationally with exhibitions in Europe, New Zealand and Canada. Lichty has been a Director and the Chair of Programming for CAFKA (Contemporary Art Forum, Kitchener and Area) since 2005. He has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. Lichty lives and works in Kitchener, Ontario and is represented by Peak Gallery, Toronto.

The artist would like to acknowledge the generous support of The Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

For more information contact Peak Gallery at (416) 537-8108 or zack@peakgallery.com

T H & B
April 12 - May 4, 2008
3rd Floor | 270 Sherman Avenue North | Hamilton
270 Sherman is North of Barton Street at Lansdowne Avenue

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 12 @ 8:00 pm
A complimentary Art Bus from Toronto to Hamilton will leave from The Gladstone Hotel on Saturday, April 12 @ 7:00 pm sharp and return after 10:00 pm.

Visiting Hours: Saturday April 19 + Saturday April 26; 12:00-5:00 pm
Doors Open Hamilton: Saturday May 3 + Sunday May 4; 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Closing Performances: Saturday, May 3 @ 8:00 pm

Resuscitating the common name of the defunct Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway, which operated out of Hamilton from 1895-1987, 21 visual artists have been invited to respond to the post-industrial context of the 3rd floor at 270 Sherman, a former textile mill located in the industrial heart of Hamilton. Focusing on installation, sculpture, video and performance, the exhibition uses the former rail line as a geographical marker, and sets out to define a vital link between visual artists operating in the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo corridor.

Participating artists include:

Jane Adeney
Sara Angelucci
Tom Bendtsen
Suzanne Carte-Blanchenot
Susan Detwiler
Simon Frank
Insoon Ha
Lesley Loksi Chan
Dave Hind
The Hunters
Ivan Jurakic
Fiona Kinsella
Gareth Lichty
Steve Mazza
Aaron Murphy
Tor Lukasik-Foss
Liss Platt
Reinhard Reitzenstein and Gayle Young
C. Wells

Featured Performers for the Closing Reception on May 3 include:

Lesley Loksi Chan
Irene Loughlin
Dave Hind
Tiny Bill Cody

Visit www.thbcollective.com for more project info.

Our thanks to the owners of 270 Sherman, for building info visit www.270sherman.ca
The steering committee would like to thank the Art Gallery of Hamilton for sponsoring the closing night of performances, and RM Signs for promotional sponsorship.
TH&B has been made possible by the generous support of an Ontario Arts Council Special Project grant