Julia Deakin's Oh Ex opens at the Emporium on Thursday, November 20th

Julia Deakin's Ex Oh exhibition will open at the Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest, #74) on Thursday, November 20th from 7PM-11PM (artist will be in attendance). The exhibition will also be open Friday, November 21st to Sunday, November 23rd from 12PM to 6PM. Private viewings will be available by appointment thereafter from Monday, November 24th to Wednesday, November 26th.

About Ex Oh-
Julia Deakin is a Toronto-based visual artist. Ex Oh is a collection of new mixed media paintings that are contradictions of themselves. Deakin's paintings are cynical yet optimistic, frustrated yet happy, reflective yet charging forward and nostalgic about the past yet lusting for new experience. Ex Oh is a love note to life.

Artist Statement-
Ex Oh is a love note to life. At its core, it is an appreciation for the wild, unexpected twists of life, and the teeter-totter of struggle and success. For me, 2008 has been a year of immense growth; major setbacks became new opportunities, mysteries became realities, decade-old questions became epic answers, love was lost, new friends were found, beloved family members passed on, attachment was reckoned with, and maybe most importantly, I learned to let go. In the context of these massive life events, I created the paintings you see here now. They are a continuation of my past ruminations on anxiety and faith, as well as the beginning of a whole new story.My paintings tend to be contradictions of themselves: cynical yet optimistic; frustrated yet happy; reflective yet charging forward; nostalgic about the past yet lusting after new experiences. My work is very personally symbolic and introspective in nature, and intentionally left vaguely mysterious and open ended – the viewer is encouraged to bring his or her own experiences, introspections, and conversations to each piece."

Artist Biography-
Julia Deakin, a 2002 Honours graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design, is a visual artist that lives in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto. Fully enamored with her neighborhood, Parkdale is a rapidly changing place with loads of history. It is also home to an interesting cross-section of people from a huge range of places, circumstances and life experiences.

Interested in both people's relationships with each other and with themselves, Deakin is inspired by change, renewal and the unexpected. Her work is informed by personal experiences and draws inspiration from folk tales, mythology, mystery, instincts and animal behavior, psychology, and a nostalgia for the implied or imagined histories of objects and people. You can see more of Deakin's work here.

For more information click on the eflier above or visit the Emporium's website here. This is our last exhibition of the year so come on out if you're in Montreal, Ben Pobjoy