Taryn Revell

Gallery Response

Create a field trip post illustrating, describing and responding to two artworks. How are these works relevant to your own research interests and practice? What did you notice, learn, or take away from the experience of the works in the gallery?

I was unable to attend the field trip to Toronto, so instead on my break I went to two local art institutions near my hometown:

The first work that stood out to me was from the Thames Art Gallery, in an exhibition called Cultivation Blues, where the artist Zacharai Logan explored the connections and similarities between humanness and nature. The particular piece I chose was Leshy No. 3; a piece inspired by the artist Giuseppe Archimboldo, depicting the form of a man made up of foliage, fruits, and animals.

This piece relates to my research interests, as I have always found a fascination in human behaviour, and our connections with our most primal roots. I felt that this work depicted that same idea, that our selves are an interwoven result of every moment, experience, and connection we’ve ever had, and that can all be explained and simplified by our human nature. Every thought, feeling or urge we’ve ever had, is unconsciously driven by our basic human needs, and from there those behaviours and actions influence the experiences that make us who we are. 

The second work that I found interesting was from the ARTspace gallery; a small exhibition called For the Love of Bugs, where the artist Janet Johnston displayed a collection of hand drawn and painted ceramic tiles. The tiles depict different species of bugs at risk as of 2025, that ranged from threatened, endangered, extirpated, and extinct. I chose this collection, as it made me think a lot about the impact of humanity on nature; how the destruction of ecosystems is so normalized, that being a person who wishes to stop species from reaching extinction in order to better our natural world, is considered out of the ordinary. That even though we are all living breathing beings who need nature to survive just as much as other creatures, we aren’t concerned enough about the well-being of our home. 

Both of the artworks I looked at, have a relation to research interest, in human behaviour and the connection to the natural world, and they allowed for a lot of contemplation on my part. It was also nice to see works that I had a personal connection to, from artists that were from my local area. 

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6