September 27 – October 17,2012
Opening Reception: Friday, September 28, 6 – 9 p.m.
MUSE GALLERY
1230 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M4T 1W3
T: 416.974.9986
www.musegallery.ca
musegallery@bellnet.ca
Hours: Tues-Sat 11-6, Sun 11-4 p.m.
“Mystical and enigmatic. Rachel Ovadia weaves threads of divine meaning into the very fabric of her esoteric compositions through expression that can enlighten and even transcend human understanding. She has formulated her own symbolic vocabulary – a paradoxical language that reads simultaneously as both simple and complex; an analytical code that has been shaped in part by her long-time fascination with the principles of Numerology, the Kabbalah and Buddhism.
Colour, line and texture populate Rachel’s canvases with an ordered chaos. Ambiguous symbols become cryptic messages delivered by strong, deliberate brush strokes that complement minimalist lines ranging from delicate to bold. Objects dematerialize and vague contours emerge in configurations equipped with the subtle power to suggest rather than illustrate. Her evolving palette engages the intellect in its capacity to convey pure concept rather than just raw mood, where blocks of warm or cool colour share cerebral thoughts and ideas.
Layers of paint are strategically applied and scraped to create textured architectural landscapes that are both earthy and refined. Symbolic lexicons emerge in Rachel’s compositions where abstraction meets reality meets genius. Her symbolic codes map out correlations between observable physical phenomena and the inner workings of humanity. She taps into numerological and other universal keys to decipher human nature and destiny. Each viewer responds uniquely to her elegant simplicity of line, suggestion of form and blocking of colour. Believing we each carry our own secretly encrypted codes from birth, Rachel invites us to identify with her work on an intimate level born of our individual experiences and beliefs.
Rachel’s work is contemporary. It is primeval. It is timeless and universal. It taps into our collective memories and explores the yet to be discovered. It reflects the very core of human existence.” Sharon Gaum-Kuchar, curator