In Conversation | Robert Canali
Robert Canali's work will be opening at Wallflower on Friday September 14 from 5-7pm,. As with previous shows, we asked Canali a series of questions about his work, his music, plans and the exhibition.
Mr. Canali, you make
primarily photographs but also sculptures and installations. You are in a band – Grounders and have been discussing video with me. Any
other outlets? And how do they all come together, if at all?
My creative pursuits are not necessarily linked by any
premeditated reason or purpose, but rather represent an evolution. It always
begins with an idea and from there I try to source the ideal format to
facilitate that concept. For example, I came to photography as a sculptor; I
only started shooting because I wanted to understand how the camera worked. It
was in my research of the camera and its workings that inspired my photographic
work. The same can be said for my place in the band: I one day decided I wanted
to learn how to play drums, so I saved up, bought a kit, and taught myself to
play. Just as I had taught myself how to use a large format camera I taught
myself rudiments and rhythms on the kit. It has often been throughout the
learning process that some of my most successful work is made. I find the
mistakes along the way to be the most exciting moments, for it is in those
instances that I can respond to what I am doing and filter a response. This can
be said to describe most of my pursuits in life. I am never consciously aiming
for all of my ambitions to come together in one way or another because each
act, though unique, is an extension of myself.
The images featured in
GHOST NOTES are all connected but the viewer may not get this at first, can you
elaborate on that connection (feel free to drop some science)?
Aside from all of the work being photographic there are several
links between each piece in the show. For starters the works share a certain
aesthetic, one piece informs the next whether it be through colour, shape,
texture or size. These formal elements ground the body of work and make it
whole. In addition to the look of the work, each photograph was conceived of
the same subject. The backdrop for the work is Western Canada - Banff National
Park and rural Alberta. There I found landscapes that revealed themselves as
sculptures. I treated the geometry of these monuments as a painter would
pigment on their pallet. There isn't really a need to reference any science to
describe the relationship between the subject matter in the work. Figurative or
abstract, they all come from the same source, the mountains. The black and
white works act as an index, suggesting a foundation or background from where
the rest of the work evolved. The geodes are minerals I found while traversing
these landscapes and the more abstracted images are actually macro photographs
of light shining through paper-thin sections of those very minerals. The work
comes full circle in a way, panning in and out on the same object, showcasing
it in ways that make it seem possible for that object to be more than it is, or
something it could never be. It is these possibilities that I am after in this
work and in all of my work.
Your sculptural work is
very photographic and it seems, in some sense, to pay homage to analogue
technologies, how did it begin? Presuming it came after photography.
The sculpture you're referring to, Vessel, was created quite spontaneously.
It began as most things do, with an idea and a sketch. Though it may not
reflect this in its polished finish and construction, it all came together
quite organically. I'm glad you sense its reference to analogue technologies,
as the inspiration was definitely photography and the tools that engineer the
craft. I wanted to make something seductive that spoke to the ephemeral aspects
of the medium and the practice.
Can you tell us a little
more about the title GHOST NOTES?
The title Ghost Notes is actually a term used in
music theory to describe a note with rhythmic value but no apparent tone. This
was brought to my attention while learning how to play drums. Imagine if you
will, tapping lightly on the surface of a table and every so often tapping once
a little harder while maintaining the same tempo. The result is a pulse that
lays under the beat, a ghost in the rhythm. Similarly the work in this show
accents facets of these landscapes that are embedded within them. The title is
also fitting as it describes the work regardless of the term’s technical
definition. Some of the imagery harkens back to a dead era of photography. With
this work I strived to take what the since departed masters of black and white
photography achieved, and transition it into a contemporized form using novel
techniques and modern philosophies.
Like prior exhibitions in
the past, I have asked you (the artist in the main space at Wallflower) to
choose a video piece for the Projection Room that would work with your own project. Can you give us
some thoughts on Geoffrey Pugen’s ROCK and how it relates
to your photographs? Connections are obvious but it would be good to hear if
you have anything to add.
What I find most captivating about Pugen’s work is the way his piece reveals the subtle nuances of a rock.
In his video the surface of the mineral shimmers and reflects light as stunning
little spectrums amidst a sea of black. As the camera circles, these
revelations come and go, fading in and out of focus. This effect spoke to my
practice, reminding me of my process while making some of the work in this
show. Positioning and repositioning minerals on light tables, waiting for the
perfect angle to present itself. The moment when the inanimate object came to
life, boasting magnificent colour and depth.
Have you been to Death
Valley?
No but I am dying to go...no pun intended.
Tell us something about the
art scene in Toronto?
It may lack the rich
history and vibrancy of Paris, Venice, New York or Berlin, but in its humility
and youth it certainly has its own voice.
You also told me this
project has come to an end – what’s next?
Allow me to rephrase that; "come to an end" sounds too
definitive. Let's say I have benched this work for now to pursue more current
curiosities. As of late I have moved away from the camera, as I have made most
of my work about what happens inside of it. I have been experimenting with a
variety of camera-less photographic techniques as well as devising some of my
own. The results have been exciting so far. I can say this without giving too
much away, the work does not read as photo as much as it does painting or
illustration.
Any questions for us?
What music were you listening to while installing the show?
Well, I think we'll be listening to some Squarepusher, a touch of Aphex, Black Moth Super Rainbow and possibly some Autechre if the mood takes us.
Canali's show in the main exhibition space will run until October 17.
www.robertcanali.com
www.groundersmusic.com
Image: "Drumheller" Robert Canali, Archival Pigment Print, 40"x50", 2012
