An installation in Gallery II, March 10 – April 16, 2021

Artist Talk & Virtual Vernissage: Wednesday March 17, 7pm-8pm.

Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to launch a program of simultaneous exhibitions in 2021. For our inaugural show in Gallery II, we are pleased to present JIM HAKE: LADIES NIGHT, an immersive solo installation of sculpture by Toronto-based artist Jim Hake. The show will run March 10 to April 16, and can be seen in-person during our regular Gallery hours, 11am-5pm Wednesdays to Sundays.

Jim Hake’s work is inspired by personal narratives, by situations and people that have touched his life. In Ladies Night, Jim Hake continues his two decades of experimentation with ideas of portraiture, metonymy, and facets. The bust “Crystal” and the wall-mounted work “Ronette”, two sculptures made from CDs and vinyl records, are loosely based portraits of the 1960s musical groups The Crystals and The Ronettes, respectively. Ten pairs of elegant, larger-than-life sized shoes are suspended from above. The shoes, originally made by the artist in 2015 for an installation at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, have a monumental scale and employ the Tiffany stained glass technique. “Stained glass is a technique that I personally associate with the past”, he notes. “Stained glass has been used throughout history to adorn sacred places of worship.”

Much of Jim Hake’s work is coloured by a sense of nostalgia, which informs both the aesthetics and conceptual dimensions of his work. “Each work in this room represents a person who has inspired me”, he says. “They embody specific personalities and become metonymical references to people I know. Icons, muses, relatives, and friends are here gathered together in a moment of celebration.”

Artist Talk & Virtual Vernissage: Wednesday March 17, 7:00pm-8:00pm. Sculptor Jim Hake will join us live via Zoom to talk about his work and inspiration. You can join us from the comfort of your home through a video link that can be accessed on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Please email us at [email protected] and we will send you the link.