Anthony Koutras | Explication

Reception for the Artist: Saturday, April 17, 2-5pm

Exhibition Dates: April 15 - April 24, 2010

The gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition by Anthony Koutras. In “Explication”, Koutras deals with the representation and mediation of the photographic image through an examination of everyday objects found in the streetscape.

Since 2002, Koutras has been creating photographic installations that mimic elements of the public realm in order to challenge the viewer's passive encounter with the everyday. Using his previous work as a departure point, “Explication” documents objects commonly found in the streetscape to examine the ways in which photography can be used to alter how we view and understand these objects. Koutras' subjects include pylons, cardboard boxes, mailboxes, garbage cans, and phone booths. Each of these objects was originally manufactured for a specific purpose; however, over time each object has taken on an additional role and begins to hold their own unique individual character traits as they are affected by vandalism, weather, and damage from the public environment.

At first glance, Koutras’ photographs seem to depict nothing more than the object suspended in black space. However, after a closer examination, rudimentary sculpture is revealed through its imperfections. Koutras draws attention to the ways in which an explication of photographic processes disconnects and distances the object from its original meaning and illustrates the tension between reality and photography. 

Koutras is currently enrolled in the MFA program at York University, Toronto. In 2003, he graduated with a major in Photography from the Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto. He has produced four solo shows, participated in numerous group exhibitions, has been exhibited at art fairs in Toronto, New York, Miami and London.  He was the recipient of an Ontario Arts Council production grant in 2007, the OCAD McCain Post-Graduate residency in 2005, and the DuMaurier Arts Grant in 2003. Koutras' work can be found in private collections in both Canada and the United States and was included in Flash Forward 2008 published by the Magenta Foundation.