Empirical Nonsense

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NIALL McCLELLAND

Influenced by the many sub-cultures of disaffected youth—punk rock, zines, and found objects—Toronto-based artist Niall McClelland creates his prismatic and formidable pieces out of material chaos. Broken glass, crumpled drop clothes, leaking ink cartridges, and cheap photocopies are thrust into the art-making process, transformed into vivid abstractions reminiscent of tie-dye, static, and discarded blueprints. The result of various methods that are simultaneously destructive and meticulous, McClelland’s work is a beautifully subtle expression of invention, process and palpable energy. 

 

Solo exhibitions include Eleanor Harwood, San Francisco, envoy enterprises, New York and Clint Roesnisch Gallery, Toronto. McClelland was also included along with Jeremy Jansen, Ellsworth Kelly and Richard Serra in the group show Black To Back And Light at Clint Roesnisch Gallery in 2009. Group exhibitions include Sp-Arte InternationalArt Fair, Sao Paulo with Gallery Nosco, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, and P.P.O.W Gallery, New York. His work has also been published in Adbusters, Arkitip, Color, Design Anarchy, Hunter and Cook, I-Live-Here, Lowdown, Made, and The Walrus among others.