Stephen Schofield at Pari Nadimi (254 Niagara), to August 26. 416-591-6464. Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
For just a moment, stephen scho field’s Sugar On The Floor, in Pari Nadimi Gallery’s back space, feels sombre, but as the seconds pass it becomes obvious that this is playful and accessible work.
His quirky and bizarre look at domestic space contains silly and deftly poignant sculptural portraits of “a young guy, his sister and an ageless cat sharing a suburban basement.”
Schofield’s ceramic sculptures of half-dressed figures in T-shirts and loose clothing who are pulling their garments over their heads and around their bodies are anatomically astute, with subtle, incredibly human details.
While ceramics often suggest fragility, Sugar On The Floor has the resilience of bronze. The tension of the fabric that seems about to rip as it stretches over the subjects makes you realize the sensitive nature of this material.
Highly attuned to the value of gesture, Schofield captures bodies in sexual and intimate poses. The sculptures of cats licking themselves peppered throughout the exhibit echo the human figures’ obsession with their own bodies, primarily their genitals.
In Tail Too And Teapot, an alluring sculpture that invites voyeurism, delicately sculpted testicles poke out beneath the stretched-out T-shirt masking a figure.
Several gouache paintings, which layer rich colours and gestural lines in strange and wonderful ways, accompany the show.
The exquisite Assumption On The Beach, His Patchouli Soaked Shirt and Drawing For Teapot are among my personal favourites.
