WIL MURRAY
Wil Murray is a painter the way Chuck Berry is a pianist. Yes, there is paint involved – splashed, dripped, swiped, glazed over and for all I know consumed by the artist on the jobsite. The first time I saw his work, I thought it was boyish and still do, though his wildly coloured hanging collages definitely grow on you with repeated viewing. Now it seems perfectly reasonable that abstract art should rise up from the wall and declare a new beginning. In an age when clothing and food asked to be considered as art, these three-dimensional works and their comical narrative titles seem totally of the moment. Close examination reveals meticulous construction.
Born (1978) and educated in Calgary (Alberta College of Art +Design), Wil has been living in Montreal for the past five years. He won honourable mention in the RBC painting competition in 2008, and was Eastern finalist in 2005. This month, he packed up his messy studio in east end Montreal, held the proverbial good-bye party and left for Berlin, a city he came to know during an extended visit this past winter. Apparently a new girlfriend is involved. All very exciting, best wishes to be sure – though as many of us know, leaving Montreal isn’t as easy as it seems.
Wil Murray shows at the Diane Farris Gallery in Vancouver; Patrick Mikhail Gallery in Ottawa and here in Montreal at Galerie Push which has recently relocated to the Belgo Building, 372 St. Catherine St. West, suite 425.
- Marianne Ackerman
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