Mark Ruwedel, Chocolate Mountains, A Ceremonial Trail. The Ice Age, 2001. Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Luisotti and Art 45
Covering a vast terrain of bucolic vistas, deserted landscapes, and urban streets, Mark Ruwedel’s career survey at the Ryerson Image Centre presents an extensive and varied display of the acclaimed photographer’s work. The collection showcases previously completed projects alongside ones that are still in progress, giving the exhibition a considerable scope that expands beyond the gallery space.
Mark Ruwedel, Westward: Railroad Cuts. Westward the Course of Empire., 1995 – 2005. Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Luisotti and Art 45
The substantial presence of landscape portraits, panoramas, and diptychs captured throughout the Western regions of Canada and the United States emphasizes Ruwedel’s most thoroughly explored subject matter, nature. From arborous hidden trails, to desolate sites containing bomb craters, these contemplative images create an expansive world to explore. Guided by the artist’s distinct eye for composition, these primarily black-and-white photographs visually manifest Ruwedel’s passion for discovering and capturing interesting and evocative environments.
Mark Ruwedel, Splitting, 2013. Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Luisotti and Art 45
The photographer’s most immediate reference point is Robert Smithson, through their similar entropic preoccupations with nature and the human body. While humans are mostly omitted from the photographs displayed within the exhibition, our irreversible physical presence and its effect on nature are hinted at in other ways, such as man-made nature trails or the appearance of litter and other inorganic ephemera. Furthermore, Ruwedel’s study of urban facades explicitly references Ed Ruscha’s series of photographs capturing boulevard strips and other similar Californian landscapes, extending his thematic concerns beyond the picturesque into more familiar locations.
Mark Ruwedel, Panamint Valley: An Ancient Rock Alignment, 2000, gelatin silver print mounted on archival board with graphite lettering., Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Luisotti and Art 45
This thorough survey will captivate admirers of Ruwedel and landscape-themed photography, while also providing curious onlookers a chance to explore new and exciting destinations through the photogpraher’s interesting and curious lens.
David Saric
*Exhibition information: April 29 – June 28, 2015, Ryerson Image Centre, 33 Gould Street Toronto. Gallery hours: Tue – Fri, 11 – 6, Wed, 11 – 8, Sat – Sun, 12 – 5 p.m.