Douglas Watt, Pool (Gay Meiosis), 2021
Wood, v-nails, gesso, wood glue, aqueous print on cold press watercolour paper, archival glue, galvanized wire mesh, wire, staples, cotton velvet, cotton thread, window mesh, staples, elastane micromesh, metal grommets, brass studs, paper clips, glass beads, metal eyelet screws, metal L brackets, screws, sand paper, acrylic paint, string, coloured gel, and other assorted materials.
33 × 27 × 7 inches
Writing on the Douglas Watt's assemblages, Jac Renée Bruneau observes, “The artist has been crafting these excessively detailed works–or ‘handmade ready mades,’ as he sometimes calls them–for a few years now. Opting for proximal materials, most are culled from the recycling bin at his workplace, from the dollar store or hardware
store on Davie Street in the gay village, or from the ground. While a number of imperatives could feasibly be tacked onto this impulse, it’s truer to say that Watt (who studied art history, not studio art) has always been doing this, led by an insatiable curiosity, attention to detail, maybe even a 6th sense. To spend any amount of time with him is to know his ability to unearth strange things in plain sight; his eyes are somehow always fresh.”
Douglas Watt (b. 1990, St. Catharines, Ontario) earned his BA in Art History (hons.) from Carleton University, Ottawa, in 2014, and was a visiting student in Criticism and Curatorial Practice at OCAD University, Toronto, in 2012. His
practice has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Unit 17, Vancouver; Green Belt Gallery, Toronto. He has participated in group exhibitions at Downs & Ross, New York; Unit 17, Vancouver; Fine Art Framing, Vancouver; Greenbelt Gallery, Toronto. He has curated exhibitions at Skylight Gallery, Vancouver; Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario.
Contact
Website: downsross.com/info
Email: [email protected]