In this series of black and white carved reliefs, the act of creation is one of strategic depletion. Just as the Tragedy of the Commons describes the exhaustion of shared resources, these works are formed by the physical removal of material, leaving behind a stark, high-contrast landscape where the organic and the mechanistic collide.
Drawing from the intricate, apocalyptic visual language of the Northern Renaissance, as well as contemporary sources such as comics, manga, and Dr. Seuss, the compositions explore shifting, unstable forms. Here, Alchemy is reimagined not as a pursuit of wisdom and enlightenment, but as a volatile transmutation of the natural world into a heavy, industrial machine. It is a depiction of grim architecture that carries its own grace, inviting the viewer to find a kind of haunting wonder in the shifting landscape of industry.
Biography
Sean Caulfield was named a Canada Research Chair in Fine Arts (Tier 2) from 2001 – 2011, Centennial Professor from 2011 – 2021, and is currently a Professor in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Alberta, living and working in Treaty Six territory. He has exhibited his prints, drawings, installations and artist’s books extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and Japan. Recent exhibitions include: Found Anatomies, Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (2022); Dyscorpia, Enterprise Square Gallery, University of Alberta; The Flood, Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton; Firedamp, dc3 Art Projects, Edmonton; The Body in Question(s), UQAM Gallery, Montreal; Perceptions of Promise, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, USA/Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta.
