Just launched today, the exhibition Gandhara Whisper at Visual Voice Art Gallery presents “pigment prints” by Mac McArthur.

Besides being an artist, McArthur also works for Engineers Without Borders, and has spent much of his time in Africa. It is there that he became captivated by the aesthetic of small African sculptures. Back home in his studio in Ontario, he developed a technique of placing these sculptures and other found objects directly onto a scanner and imaging them at extremely high resolution. The resulting prints have a unique, dark atmosphere. The low depth of field of the scanner creates images which are extremely detailed but suddenly vanish into a sombre blur. The effect is stunning. It is noteworthy that McArthur tracked down the artists who created the sculptures he scans, and pays them a substantial royalty whenever he makes a sale. He calls it “Fair Trade”. I call it awesome.

Visual Voice Art Gallery
space 421
Mac McArthur
Gandhara Whisper
exhibition period: August 28 – September 7, 2008
vernissage: September 3, 2008 6:00pm – 9:00pm
www.visualvoicegallery.com