FRANCES FERDINANDS
STUDIO VIMY FINE ART BOOTH #4076
SURTEX TRADE SHOW
JAVITS CONFERENCE CENTRE
FEBRUARY 3-6, 2019
STUDIO VIMY FINE ART based in Toronto Canada is making a first appearance at Surtex 2019, Javits Centre February 3-6. Frances Ferdinands, the principal of Studio Vimy Fine Art is a noted Fine Artist, primarily as a painter whose exhibition career spans over three decades.
Born in Colombo Sri Lanka, she holds a Visual Arts degree from York University, an A.R.C.T. (Piano) from the Royal Conservatory of Music, and an Education degree from University of Toronto. She was co-editor of Eclectic Eve: a Collection of Fifty Interviews with Toronto Women Artists. Noted American art historian and contemporary art critic Lucy Lippard wrote, “Eclectic Eve is a book I’ve often used and much enjoyed. I wish other cities would do the same.” Ferdinands’ paintings are featured in two Artbooks: Rethinking Acrylic” (Northlight Books, 2008) and Acrylic Innovation (Northlight Books, 2010). Ferdinands created the winning design for the 2017 Diwali commemorative coin and 2019 Multi-Cultural coin for the Royal Canadian Mint.
Ferdinands has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions for over three decades across Canada and in the United States. She has exhibited as far afield as Paris, Bogota and Honolulu. She is the recipient of many artist Government grants and her paintings are held in private and corporate collections and museum collections including the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).
In 2015 and 2017, under the auspices of a Grant, Ferdinands returned to Sri Lanka to be mentored in traditional arts and crafts. There she studied temple mural painting, bobbin lace making, and mask making. This experience served to enrich Ferdinands’ cultural understanding of her Sri Lankan heritage and it led to creating a new suite of paintings titled "Exotic Landscapes," that draws on the rich heritage of pattern.
Recognizing the influence of Western “Pattern & Decoration” movement of the late 70’s and 80’s, and realizing that “decoration” (somewhere between figuration and abstraction) encompasses the visual culture of many non-Western traditions, these new paintings feature a playful combining of representation and abstraction featuring modern Western and traditional South Asian-inspired imagery, patterning, historical and contemporary references. An eclectic mix of cliched palm trees, imaginary flowers, botanical plants and animals released from their original contexts they become “exotic” illusory landscapes of the mind.
By amalgamating both Western and South Asian visual languages I create a synthesis, reflecting my hybridity as a South Asian Canadian artist. Surtex is the first venue where these brand new works will be unveiled. It is with excitement that I bring these works to Surtex as I envision these paintings can be used in their entirety, or an area or detail selected to be re-interpreted on a product from tablewear to apparel to wall decor.
CONTACT INFORMATION
FRANCES FERDINANDS, PRINCIPAL
STUDIO VIMY FINE ART, 7842 VIMY RIDGE ROAD, COBOURG, ON. K9A4J7 CANADA
http://www.francesferdinands.com
francesjferdinands@gmail.com
1-647-222-5657
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