Explorer, edition of 9, archival pigment print on rag paper, 36 x 36 inches
November 10 – 24, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 10, 2 – 4 p.m.
BAU-XI PHOTO
324 Dundas St. West
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1G5
T: 416.977.0400
E: info@bau-xiphoto.com
www.bau-xiphoto.com
Hours: Mon-Sat 10-5:30, Sun 11-5:30
In a world full of tablets, tweets and links, the lifespan for the printed book would appear to be in jeopardy. That is until you discover the artwork of artist Cara Barer. Barer sculpts a second life into cast-off books and paper, experimenting with curling irons, clothes pins and water to transform volumes of information into coiled, crumpled objects of beauty. These objects are captured in portrait-like images, set against simple black or white backgrounds. The books themselves are either tinted with bright, varicolored hues, or left in their original state, with muted, sepia tones.
Barer states, “ The inspiration could come from the dictionary, a story that I’m reading, something I saw on the internet, or even a passing remark made by a friend. I want to create a theatre with my images…unique for every viewer because it can only exist in their own imagination, and it will be unique because my images do not come from only the physical world around us. They are a mixture of objects, words, paper, and my thoughts.”
Fanciful and symbolic, Barer ’s work alludes to the status of the book in contemporary times. “My photographs are a lament for the passing of eras when books were considered much more valuable, and a path to knowledge,” says Barer.
Cara Barer holds degrees from the Glassell School of Ar t at the Museum of Fine Ar ts, Houston, and the Art Institute of Houston. She has exhibited in solo and group show throughout the US and Canada since 1994. Her work can be found in the collections of Bloomingdale’s, Lehigh University, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Nordstrom, Danielle Steel, United States Embassy, Kyiv, Ukraine, VISA and Wells Fargo Bank.