MEERA MARGARET SINGH at the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen West), to May 31. 416-531-4635. Rating: NNNNN
Meera Margaret Singh’s photographs of her aging mother have a disciplined formalism rooted in the classical painting tradition, but that in no way diminishes their emotional impact. A profound meditation on the passage of time, the series, called Nightingale, suggests the wry wisdom of womanly maturity as it looks back on the fleetingness of youth.
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Most startling is the range of apparent ages Singh portrays. Demurely posed semi-nude before a radiator, her mother seems almost her radiant younger self, while a photo of her, eyes closed in front of a red curtain, recalls the pain of another iconic older woman, Giorgione’s La Vecchia.