Noah Rubel (he/they)
3rd year, BFA Studio Arts, Min. in Art Education
Present the Puppet
1′ x 1′ x 7′
Scrap Wood, Metal Hooks, Rope
2023
Description:
Noah Hirayama-Rubel is a Vermont-raised artist attending Concordia University. While he was certainly doodling since he was born, art became a passion for him in seventh grade when his local library bought a drawing tablet, leading him to mess around with digital art-making programs. Ever since, he has explored various mediums and realms of art, especially as an undergraduate, pulling studio sessions into the late hours of the night.
Studying in Montreal, Noah works to understand the various cultures of his peers. Surrounded by a welcoming Latin and French community, Noah now takes inspiration from his fellow international friends, whom he loves wholeheartedly. Alternatively, he uses this time to understand his own Japanese and Jewish-Quebecois identity and how to reclaim his family’s lineage through creation and research.
“Present” the Puppet, is a giant marionette made entirely of sustainably sourced wood and screw hooks. He found the wood and hooks in scrap piles and resource centers. All the pieces were sanded and rounded using woodworking tools and then assembled with screw hooks and wood glue. This piece takes inspiration from the adventures of Carlo Collodi’s wooden puppet, Pinocchio. Throughout the book, Pinocchio finds himself lost and helpless, abandoned almost by the cruelties of reality. While many consequences are a by-product of his delinquent nature, plenty of punishments he faces are undeserved. As the world abandoned Pinocchio, Montreal abandoned this scrap wood. Noah wanted to reclaim the wood in this city and give it a purpose, in this case, as a marionette. Noah gave the puppet the name “Present” because he is a gift. The marionette gave both the wood a purpose and a sense of fulfillment to Noah. Plenty of objects have personal value, and Noah’s piece investigates the value in everything. Living or not, what do we choose to care about? What values do we assign to things? The value Noah holds in “Present” is a present, since, for any object, the ability to exist is beautiful.
Nathan Theriault (he/him)
1st year, Art Education
#1 Cost
60 x 45 inches
Acrylic on Canvas
2024
#2 Through the Flame
18 x 12 x 13 in
Toy car, ash, sticks, styrofoam, cardboard, acrylic
2022
Description:
Nathan Theriault studied in the Visual Arts Program at John Abbott College for three years, where he developed a deep passion for art and the art-making process. After graduating, he chose to share his passion with others through teaching. Nathan is currently completing his first year in the Art Education Major at Concordia University, with plans to apply for specialization when the time comes. Art holds a vital place in his life, and he cares deeply about helping others find their own connection to it.
Nathan’s large-scale painting, Cost, was created as a commentary on society’s obsession with flashy vehicles. The painting is reminiscent of a Hot Wheels poster, with bright, attention-grabbing colors and movements. On the perimeter of the painting, the silhouettes of burning trees desperately try to catch the viewer’s attention but are overshadowed by the vibrant cars. Nathan created this piece as a mirror of contemporary society, where consumers often focus on the next big thing without considering the cost. Theriault loves cars, and by exploring this theme in his painting, he found a way to reflect on both his personal passions and their environmental impacts. The speedometer in the background of the painting is positioned at eye level, with temperature degrees subtly incorporated next to the speed values. This dual depiction highlights the connection between a car’s speed and the rising temperature of the planet. The painting plays with the theme of needs versus wants—where we need the environment to survive but often prioritize our desires for pleasure over what is necessary for our well-being.
Elizabeth Johnstone (she/her)
Art Education 2nd year of study and majoring in ceramics
Family Tree and the Roots that Connect Us
60inx38in
Stoneware, mixed recycled clay bodies and thread
2024
Description:
Elizabeth Johnstone (she/her) was born in Montreal and currently resides in Verdun. A broken branch in the tree symbolizes the perinatal loss she suffered and how her son continues to be part of the core of her family. For Elizabeth, taking time to be in the presence of nature became a necessary step for healing. Processing grief and trauma became manageable while being in the presence of water, trees and plants. Taking up gardening deepened her understanding of the connection between the life cycle of plants and the sharing of nutrients in trees through an undersoil network. Working sustainably has become a large focus in Johnston’s artwork. In her most recent artwork, A Family Tree, she created the root system and tree buds by reclaimed clay from the three buckets water system in the ceramics department at Concordia led by a sustainability initiative. She also utilized recycled glazes.
Nesreen Galal
Visual Arts
loss of identity
Dimensions vary
Installation, Video Art + Performance
2023
Description:
Nesreen Galal is an interdisciplinary artist based in Montreal. Her work mostly centers on notions of identity, memory, the surreal, the uncanny. Additionally, she uses art as a vessel to critique colonial discourse, orientalism, capitalism and the cisgender male gaze. She presents these themes through a diverse variety of mediums, from cyanotype, to salt printing, to lumen print, anthotype, collage, to experimental photography and to filmmaking. Her short film, “Loss of Identity”, was screened in Montreal’s first BIPOC Film Festival in the summer of 2021. Her work has been internationally featured in magazines such as Luna Collective Magazine and Sunstroke Magazine, and she has had the opportunity to showcase her work locally at the likes of VAV Gallery, Eastern Bloc, Livart, Atelier Galerie 2112 and Somewhere Gallery. Recently, she has been focused on photography and printmaking with chemical ingredients. Nesreen is currently in her final fourth year, double majoring in Computation & Studio Arts, as she has a passion for blending both analogue and digital mediums.
Loss of identity 3.0 stems from my personal journey as I grappled with identity confusion. This installation delves into the interplay of various emotional layers, facial expressions, and the act of masking to conform to societal norms. The concept of masking involves concealing or omitting parts of oneself to present a socially acceptable image. My struggles with ADHD (ADHD masking), imposter syndrome and general challenges with fitting in, coupled with my mixed background as a marginalized queer Arab, led me to explore art as a therapeutic process. I crafted masks, one of which symbolizes my younger self, complete with the hair highlights I recall to have once favored. Another mask, adorned with fragmented mirrors, represents the idea of a fractured self-image. Additionally, I produced four 3D-printed masks of myself showcasing different expressions. The intention was to establish a disconnect between the audience and the performer, fostering a voyeuristic experience. To achieve this, I incorporated CCTV cameras, evoking a sense of surveillance akin to a security guard monitoring screens for potential intruders or threats. By deliberately concealing my face, I aimed to question the concept of true self, highlighting the inherent challenge of understanding one’s feelings and thoughts. After all, my internal mental processes remain inaccessible to others. The theatrical appeal and use of masks and performance addresses a heavy topic while exploring notions of play in my work.
Alina Chamro
Painting and Drawing
Game Start
18″ x 15″
sand sculpture
2023
Description:
Alina Chamro is a Painting and Drawing major who has a background in finance and real estate. She recently returned to university to pursue her childhood dream of creating art. Through this degree, she is regaining her foothold in her own life, and she feels as if is rediscovering her true self. This sculpture acts as an ambiguous relic, frozen in time between the era of technological advances and of the world apocalypse. This sculpture of a game controller made of sand, which in of itself is related to notions of time through the hourglass, leaves viewers with questions rather than answers. It becomes ambiguous whether it was crafted in ancient times or if it is a greeting from the distant future warning us of a possible catastrophe. The use of sand creates an interactive element for viewers. Audience members are confronted with choices when observing this controller; they could feel it and touch the sand, imagine stepping on it; and see the cracks and a fallen piece off the shape, uncovering inside of the sand casket a modern game controller.
Childhood Quilt
40×30 in
acrylic paints and graphite pencil
2023
Description:
In Childhood Quilt, two images are juxtaposed against one-another. The large colourful background contrasts the smaller graphite figure. The bright landscape is a representation of my childhood memories, which often incorporated my mother’s hobby of making quilts. For me, this echoes the warm feeling of the intimate world of my inner child. The bird’s eye perspective recalls my childhood dreams of flying over the land, where there were no existing limits. The varying scale and elephants echo childlike dreams. The quilt represents a sense of home, as it is comforting and it symbolizes a safe place. The figure, representing an adult, is isolated from the rest of the image and devoid of any colours. We do not see his face, thus his emotions are uncertain. Perhaps he is sad, perhaps he’s wondering, or perhaps he is simply watching. Perhaps, the viewer is left to question the storyline, thus creating our own narrative.
Jenna Wilson
Visual Arts
A Dream
Dimensions vary
Digital drawing, photography, wool sculpting
2023
Description:
Jenna Wilson is a visual artist interested in exploring the ties between nature, climate, and femininity through painting and sculptures. Considering how we respond to nature, and situate ourselves within it, is an important part of her practice. She is interested in depicting organic forms in an abstracted representation while incorporating ideas of feminine objects/presence within a natural landscape. Their practice involves not only traditional oil paints and soft sculptures, but ceramics and fibers as well. The helmet and chainmail garment were typically worn in Medieval wars. By wearing this historical garment, I am reinterpreting the act of fighting in a war, which is a very sobering experience. Instead of being a depiction of an actual war, I decided to use these elements to revive the childlike wonders embedded in creative play. The wearable pieces are documented in an imaginary landscape drawing. The wearer, within this dream-like space, creates art through their actions in the drawing.
Julia Monaco
4th Year, Major in Art Education
Compost Fungi
14” x 9” x 8”
Unfired Earthenware Clay
2020
Artist Statement:
The word interaction means to affect or influence on another. There is no greater example of interaction beyond the interactions which are naturally occurring. The ephemeral project Compost Fungi aims to explore the interaction between fungi and the ecosystem. Often overlooked, fungi are responsible for breaking down organic matter. Fungi provides carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen to soil, similar to the common elements needed to produce clay. By using unfired clay, a compostable material directly connected to the earth, I was able to create a work that produced no additional waste and will eventually return to the ground where its life can restart.
Description:
Compost Fungi aims to highlight the importance of fungi within the ecosystem. Often overlooked, fungi are responsible for breaking down organic matter. Fungi provide carbon, oxygen and nitrogen to soil, similar to the common elements needed to produce clay. By using unfired clay, a compostable material directly connected to the earth, I was able to create a work which produced no additional waste and will eventually return to the ground where its cycle of life can restart.
Overall, the inspiration for this project began by reflecting on the amount of organic waste produced in a singular household and frequenting local hiking trails. While frequenting local hiking trails, I began to take note of recurring actions, such as fungi emerging from decomposing trees or emerging from rotting foliage. This ultimately led me to question where else fungi thrive. Upon further research it became clear that fungi were also present in compost, mainly in the form of Mycelium.
Since fungi present themselves in compost, I thought it would be relevant to create a sculptural installation on a compost bin showcasing the different types of fungi that may typically grow on rotting or decomposing organic waste. Upon completion of the sculpture, the unfired piece decomposed and returned to the compost bin with other organic waste collected throughout the duration of the project creation.
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