Shane Wilson’s art does not conform to a known vernacular, neither within sculpture nor carving nor the contemporary language of found objects and mixed materials.
However he is classified, Wilson’s creations stir up something deep within us—a mystery that cannot be explained easily in words. It could be the palmate shape of a moose antler that fans the inner flame of an archetypal memory, or the tusk of an Ice Age woolly mammoth, or the ivory gleam of a near-mythological narwhal inscribed with symbolism that reads like an ancient petroglyph. Seeing them on the wall or under protective case, it is our sublime delight—and the artist’s challenge issued to us—to try and decode the hidden messages.
Art and nature form a breathtaking confluence in an extraordinary, evocative portfolio. “For me, the message is all about who we are as people today,” Wilson says. “We live in a world of intriguing duality.”
Whether one dwells in a city or remote bush community; whether commuting to work in a skyscraper or making our living off the land; whether sojourning for subsistence in the wilderness or escaping into backyard woodlots, there is something ineffable about the headgear of animals that he reinterprets.
"This art of Neolithic and contemporary tribal peoples, to me, ranks with any art of world history. Its inventiveness, rhythm and abstract design is as high in quality as early 20th century modernist art." —Robert Bateman
Under Wilson’s command, antler and ivory not only fill a room with ambiance...
Additional Article Information:
· Article is 2,585 words long (250 are displayed in this preview).
Author: Todd Wilkinson
Post Date:December 15th, 2010
'Canadian artist Shane Wilson defies easy description. He's neither a sculptor nor a carver nor just an adherent of found objects. He is a blend of all three and his work is rapidly gaining attention in North America.
'
Research tags: shane wilson, shane-wilson, wildlife art journal, todd wilkinson, wildlife art, wildlifeartjournal.com, wildlife-art-journal, robert bateman, david wagner, keith levoir, julia cameron, the artist's way, ray ladue, dennis shorty, maureen morris, gerald kortello, yukon arts centre, mary bradshaw, grace de la luna, illuseum gallery, inuit art