In this new lobby installation, internationally-renowned artist Sandra Meigs (who recently moved to Hamilton) installs The Elevators (2015), a series of circular paintings that celebrate and elevate the everyday. Paired with the large red inner-smile mobile from Room for Mystics (2017), which is intended to encourage personal awareness and vitality, the installation brings a sense of joy and wonder to the Gallery entrance.
For nearly four decades, Meigs has composed complex narratives through her paintings and installation projects, all of which are widely open to interpretation. Her use of colour and dynamic composition, with pop culture references, incite energetic and joyful readings.
Working from points of spiritual inspiration, Imaginal Worlds offers a playful lightness. The works were created at a point in the artist’s life when levity was much needed, following a personal loss. That was a few years ago, and now we find ourselves in the time of COVID-19—a time when Meigs’ bright content and elated approach take on renewed import and relevance when shared publicly again. Through this installation, Meigs invites viewers into a vivid and contemplative space where energy itself is key.
Header image: Sandra Meigs (Canadian b. USA 1953), Compilation of two Elevators, 2015, acrylic on paper. 20 units, 38 cm diameter each. Courtesy of the artist and Susan Hobbs Gallery
