FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
loop Gallery presents:



Lorène Bourgeois
Entourage

Ingrid Mida
Constructions of Feminity

May 26 – June 17, 2012
Reception: Saturday, May 26th, 2012, 2-5 PM
Q&A Session, moderated by Peter Legris: Sunday, June 17th, 2012, 2-3 PM

loop Gallery is pleased to announce exhibitions by loop members Lorène Bourgeois entitled Entourage, and Ingrid Mida entitled Constructions of Femininity.

With Entourage, Lorène Bourgeois juxtaposes large-scale drawings on paper with smaller paintings in oil on slate. Her images investigate the ambiguity of the face, the head, and the body, disclosed or obscured through clothing, framing and head-dress. Here, head-dress is examined not only for its social or utilitarian functions, but also as a framing device and a theatrical artifact. A woman's bonnet, the veil of a nun, or a bow tied upon a girl's head are reconsidered in these works as objects of strange beauty.

Lorène Bourgeois lives and works in Toronto. Her work has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in France, Korea, Russia, and the U.S. She is represented in numerous collections, including the Canada Council Art Bank, the Banff Centre for the Arts, The Department of Foreign Affairs, Ernst & Young, the MOCCA, the National Bank of Canada, and the Hart House and Donovan Collections at the University of Toronto.

This latest installation by Ingrid Mida is an exploration of the artifice of feminine dress and identity. This work juxtaposes the extreme silhouettes of the 18th century dress with the armour of the modern day hockey warrior in a whimsical celebration of the power of sport to redefine femininity. Inspired by young women hockey players who display feats of courage, strength and power, hockey equipment has been transformed with feminine signifiers of ribbon, sequins and beading, and then paired with historical silhouettes made from mesh.

Ingrid Mida is a Toronto-based artist, and author of the popular blog Fashion is my Muse! She was the keynote speaker at the Costume Society of America mid-west conference in the fall of 2011 on the topic of "When does Fashion Become Art?" and will speak at the Fashion Tales Conference in Milan in June 2012 on "The Metaphysics of Fashion Blogging."

Please join the artists in celebrating the opening reception on Saturday, May 26th from 2-5 pm.

Images: (left) Lorène Bourgeois, White Mantle, conté drawing on paper, 57" x 45 ¼", 2012; (right) Ingrid Mida, Stephanie, mixed media, 2012.

Find out more on the loop blog.

loop Thanks

Audax.ca . Sumac.com

loop Members
John Abrams . Mark Adair . Elizabeth Babyn . Lorène Bourgeois . Yael Brotman . Kelly Cade . Heather Carey . Gary Clement . Tara Cooper . Tanya Cunnington . Elizabeth D'Agostino . Audrea DiJulio . Chris Dow . Sheryl Dudley . Larry Eisenstein . Martha Eleen . Eric Farache . Maria Gabankova . Candida Girling . Charles Hackbarth . Libby Hague . Linda Heffernan . Isabelle Hémard . David Holt . Sung Ja Kim . JJ Lee . Jane LowBeer . Ingrid Mida . Suzanne Nacha . Mary Catherine Newcomb . Maureen Paxton . Ester Pugliese&nbsp ; . Barbara Rehus . Thelma Rosner . Rochelle Rubinstein . Lanny Shereck . Yvonne Singer . Sandra Smirle . Adrienne Trent

loop Gallery
1273 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1X8 (3 doors west of Dovercourt).
Gallery Hours: Wed - Sat 12 to 5 pm and Sun 1 to 4pm.
Artist is in attendance on Sundays and for the reception.
For more information please contact the gallery director at (416) 516-2581 or loopgallery@primus.ca. Website: www.loopgallery.ca

Blog: http://loopgallery.blogspot.com/