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| GREG PYRA |
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Artist Statement
In the absence of light, the familiar urban
environment becomes disorienting, unsettling,
and perhaps even alienating. Night creates
displacement, and it is this experience of
displacement which I feel in my night
explorations. In deserted streets and parking
lots, the white hot light of street lamps and
moving cars become the new markers of
orientation. The separation of earth and sky is
dissolved; artificial light is the compass that
guides me in silent walks through streets,
parking lots, and alleys.
My interest in representations of night also
has a spiritual component. When there is less
awareness of the physical world, one is able
to better focus on the inner self. The night sky
becomes a metaphor for openness and
unexplored possibilities. The spiritual self is
unfettered by the physical world; therefore,
night becomes an open door to the
possibilities of the spiritual life. In darkness,
our physical bodies may not even be visible. If
sensory experiences become severely
restricted, then the inner life comes into view.
An emphasis on light on my paintings is a way
of loosening the viewer’s hold on a physical or
sensory-based reality.
This series of night paintings also revisits
an exploration of the element of black. When
black assertively emerges in my paintings, I
know that it is my attempt to break with past
artistic endeavours, both personal and historic.
Black becomes a metaphor for an empty
space, a "void", which need refilling. The night
paintings represent a turn in the artistic
journey; how can I challenge myself with a
new venture? The answer, so far, has led to
experimentations with the interactions of light
and darkness, and the presence of a spiritual
life in the absence of a physical world.
In the absence of light, the familiar urban
environment becomes disorienting, unsettling,
and perhaps even alienating. Night creates
displacement, and it is this experience of
displacement which I feel in my night
explorations. In deserted streets and parking
lots, the white hot light of street lamps and
moving cars become the new markers of
orientation. The separation of earth and sky is
dissolved; artificial light is the compass that
guides me in silent walks through streets,
parking lots, and alleys.
My interest in representations of night also
has a spiritual component. When there is less
awareness of the physical world, one is able
to better focus on the inner self. The night sky
becomes a metaphor for openness and
unexplored possibilities. The spiritual self is
unfettered by the physical world; therefore,
night becomes an open door to the
possibilities of the spiritual life. In darkness,
our physical bodies may not even be visible. If
sensory experiences become severely
restricted, then the inner life comes into view.
An emphasis on light on my paintings is a way
of loosening the viewer’s hold on a physical or
sensory-based reality.
This series of night paintings also revisits
an exploration of the element of black. When
black assertively emerges in my paintings, I
know that it is my attempt to break with past
artistic endeavours, both personal and historic.
Black becomes a metaphor for an empty
space, a "void", which need refilling. The night
paintings represent a turn in the artistic
journey; how can I challenge myself with a
new venture? The answer, so far, has led to
experimentations with the interactions of light
and darkness, and the presence of a spiritual
life in the absence of a physical world.
