Toni Hamel Selected Works

New works for a solo exhibition titled “In lieu of better days” at CK Contemporary in San Francisco, CA USA. Opening July 6, 2024

On happenstance, the weight of being, some cruel intentions and unexpected consequences.

This series is the sequel to “The land of Id”. Although it still offers my viewpoints on the peculiar relationship between humans and the natural environment, it also explores some social phenomena typical of our culture and anthropocentric era.

Some of these works were part of a two-person exhibition at Talon Gallery in Portland, Oregon USA in December 2017; others have been shown at Arcadia Contemporary in Pasadena, California USA, Ingram Gallery in Toronto, Canada and soon others will also be shown at CK Contemporary in San Francisco, California USA and Yiri Arts in Taipei, Taiwan.  The series has been featured in many print and digital outlets such as Bob Books (UK), Bizarre Magazine (UK), The Affairs (Taiwan), Frankie (Australia), American Art Collector magazine (USA), Hi-Fructose and BloPop magazines (USA), Banzai Revue (France), LoDown (Berlin, Germany), Courrier International (Paris, France), CBC/Arts (Canada) and many others.

In Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the Id refers to the component of our psyche responsible for our most primitive impulses and drives. It is an egocentric, all-consuming urge to satisfy our immediate needs and desires  without any consideration for possible consequences or repercussions.

Such theory perfectly describes our contemporary attitude toward our surroundings.  Continuing my discourse on human behaviour, The land of Id focuses on humanity’s relationship with the natural environment offering two alternative yet equally interesting points of view. If on one hand it confronts us with the disastrous results of our ill-conceived rapport with nature, on the other it offers some levity and  food for thought. The land of Id becomes a topsy-turvy world filled with tension and instability, where everything appears possible yet nothing is what it seems. Through symbolism and satire, The Land of Id eventually alerts us about the dangerous effects of our exploitative behaviours.

Some of the works of “The land of Id” were shown at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa, 2015), the National Sustainable Living Festival (Melbourne, Australia, 2017), Art Toronto – International Art Fair (2015, 2016), Papier 16 (Montreal, 2016), Room Art Fair (Madrid, Spain 2016), Art On Paper (New York, USA 2016) Art On Paper (Miami, USA 2015), and have been featured in Mud Season Review (2017), Hi-Fructose (2015, 2017), Efflorescence Culturelle (2016) and many other web and print outlets (2015, 2016, 2017).

Laden with symbolism and strongly infused with autobiographical notes, The lingering investigates the harmful psychological repercussions that culturally imposed expectations and restrictions, whether deliberate or unintentional, cause on women’s self-image, self-acceptance and identity.

The lingering is a solo exhibition circulated by the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario. Originally shown at the RMG in the fall of 2013 it will tour to the Art Gallery of Grimsby, Ontario, where it will be shown from October 26 to December 16, 2015. Exhibition catalogue with essay by Sonya Jones accompanies the exhibition.

“The lingering” exhibition was featured in The Hamilton Spectator newspaper (December 22, 2015) as well as many other print and digital publications. The drawing “The obvious child” was selected by Penguin Random House Publishing company as cover for their “Upfronts – Hamish Hamilton” digital digest.

Hic et nunc (Latin for “here and now”) is a collection of pictorial renderings on various thoughts on contemporary phenomena. Rich in irony and allegory, this series is my own personal interpretation of the current social, cultural and political context. Subjects such as history, politics, and social issues are explored and mingled in order to alter perceptions, expectations and intentions.