Saidye Bronfman Award 2005: Michael Hosaluk exhibition unveiled
Gatineau, Quebec, September 30, 2005 – As part of the celebration of the 29th anniversary of the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in the Fine Crafts, the Canadian Museum of Civilization presents the exhibition Saidye Bronfman Award 2005: Michael Hosaluk, from September 30, 2005 to April 2, 2006. This signature exhibition showcases the work of renowned Canadian wood turner Michael Hosaluk, recipient of the 2005 Saidye Bronfman Award.
Saidye Bronfman Award 2005: Michael Hosaluk will showcase various aspects of Hosaluk’s 30-year career, including pieces that date from the mid-eighties up to the present. The exhibition will include Hosaluk’s functional objects such as tables, bowls, candlesticks and vessels, as well as whimsical teapots, self-portraits and sculptural objects.
Michael Hosaluk’s early work focused on the intrinsic quality of the wood. He would take the burl from a maple tree and create a perfectly turned sculptural object. With Hosaluk’s careful manipulation, the natural quality of the wood would shine through. Fast forward to Hosaluk’s current work and you are more likely to see him using unusual woods such as arbutus, which do not have the same “star power” as maple and yet present him with just as much of a challenge. In addition, now Hosaluk might ebonize or blacken the surface of a piece to make it more dramatic, or do additional carving to create a more dynamic work. Hosaluk is very respectful of the material he works with, but his challenge has always been to see how much further he can push it.
Perhaps Michael Hosaluk’s most intriguing wood sculptures are the “Family” series he worked on in the late ‘90s. The pieces are maple, cut into oval shapes, carved and shaped, bleached, burnt and textured. Individually, the objects look like serpentine, horn, torso or bird shapes. Hosaluk says, “As you move them to interact, they change and become something new.” He likes to create pieces that have this sense of social interaction and claims that he draws much his inspiration from his relationship with his own family.
In the world of woodturning, it is considered almost sacrilegious to alter the appearance of wood through painting, staining, bleaching, etc., but Hosaluk ignores those rules. He also likes to take turned pieces and rearrange them for a variety of compositions. His “Self Portrait as an Eccentric Frenchman” is a stunning example of woodturning literally turned on its head. Hosaluk has used eight turned pieces, framed like a traditional painting, to construct the key elements of his face (eyebrows, eyes, nose, cheekbones and mouth). Each facial piece, floating in the blue wooden frame, is held in place by rods that criss-cross the composition. And finally, to give it that perfect French accent, Hosaluk has painted each turned piece with the blue and white stripe of the classic French sailor jersey. Totally whimsical and compositionally brilliant, this piece epitomizes the playfulness of Hosaluk’s work and his tremendous artistic talent.
Hosaluk has continually pushed the boundaries of woodturning by constantly experimenting with new ways to work with turned pieces of wood and to incorporate other materials into his compositions. His “Quill Vessel” made of elm, porcupine quills and dye, or his teapots made of maple, horsehair, and paint reflect Hosaluk’s desire to be experimental. Not content to perfect just one type of object or one vocabulary, Hosaluk chose not to be a “slave to the lathe” and has created an extensive body of work that explores the many facets of the wood medium.
For further information on the Saidye Bronfman Award and profiles of previous recipients, visit http://www.civilization.ca/arts/bronfman/brint01e.html
Media Information:
Heather A. Hatch
The Haley Group
Tel.: (416) 961-2220
E-mail: haleygroup@rogers.com
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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