GNO presents 'Deep Purple'

La Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario (GNO) presents Liz Knox - Deep Purple, an exhibition that runs until April 26 at 174 Elgin St. Knox has created bodies of work exploring interaction, social connectedness, identity and chance encounters. Using herself as the paradigm she is constantly searching for ways to become a part of her surrounding environment.

'Chance Encounters' is very much tied to this sort of investigation: how one person can find one's self quite similar to many others, while seemingly very different through something as simple as clothing. For this project, when the artist meets a person whose clothes match her own, she takes a photo with them.

For 'Deep Purple', rather than documenting those who are already similar to herself, she offers the service of dyeing their hair Deep Purple like her own. Like a semi-permanent performance, the effect she will have on strangers will last until their hair grows out or they dye over their new shade. This is a relational art piece where the relating happens briefly and the outcome is potentially evident for months - longer if someone really loves the colour. Here the artist is interested in brief social encounters with long lasting visible effect.

"In both of these projects I am forming an alternative portrait and I am still undecided as to who it represents, myself or the strangers whose lives I have entered," Knox said.

This exhibition brings together 40 photos of these encounters.

This exhitibion is sponsored by The Elgin Snipper and Donald P. Kuyek, Barrister & Solicitor. The gallery's season sponsors are CBON, la Première Chaîne, Espace musique and Radio-Canada Television.

Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 12 to 5 pm.