MULHERIN galleries & NO FOUNDATION Presents

Tsunaminagashi

Sto Len

May 13 - 31 2016

Opening Friday the 13th 6-9pm

TORONTO / NEW YORK
1082/1086 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1H8

Suminagashi, or floating ink, is a centuries old paper marbling process that originated in Japan and was often practiced as meditation by Shinto Buddhist monks. This exercise captures in visual form a moment in time when nature (in the form of water and air currents) bonds with the human spirit (chi, energy and breath or physical movement). In Tsunaminagashi, Sto Len creates an updated version of this method that is akin to disrupting the calm water of its origins with the giant waves of a colorful tsunami. Renouncing the fussiness historically associated with the decorative process of paper marbling, Sto Len’s monoprints celebrate chaos and the ability to collaborate with natural forces.

Layers of oil paint, spray paint, and dirt are built up on the water surface for hours and sometimes days, creating a floating painting that is then disturbed with brush work, wind, or oils and eventually captured by dragging paper across the surface. This untraditional process allows for the chance intervention of nature to inform these textured and dimensional works. Dense colors float, bleed, and blend with dirt and oils creating a thick residue that is not unlike a psychedelic oil spill. Patterns often emerge over time from evaporation and the end results celebrate nature, gravity, visceral color, time and gestural mark making.