Pete Kohut
Opening: Friday, March 1st, 7–9:00 pm
The show runs Friday, March 1st
through Sunday, March 17th, 2019
Gallery Hours:
Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am to 4 pm,
or by appointment.
The paintings in Pete Kohut’s exhibition explore the structure of looking. Using the mark as a building block, the work seeks to challenge the viewer’s relationship with the image. It questions what it means to look at images in today’s chaotic, consumer-driven, visual environment. One strategy employed is to reduce the elements of the paintings to cut through the noise of everyday imagery. Marks are used as building blocks: repeating them to create a weave, net, or field of positive and negative information. This repetitive process creates an image that denies hierarchy (narrative) or inspiration (the grand gesture). It emphasizes labour (process) and touch (the artist’s hand).
Artist’s Bio
Pete Kohut is initially a self-taught artist but will be receiving his BFA with a Visual Arts Major from the University of Victoria in the Spring of 2019. He is an experienced graphic designer of 15 years, but his passion for fine art prompted him to change his career focus. He has painted for over 20 years; concentrating on representing the human form. Recently, his explorations into the theory and history of perception have prompted him to let go of conventional representation and experiment with a pared-down, processed-based form of image-making. Kohut currently lives and works in Victoria, B.C.