Leigh Bridges

Canadian artist Leigh Bridges lives and works in Winnipeg and holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Victoria. Bridges was based in Berlin from 2005 to 2007. While in Germany, her exploration of collage vis-à-vis painting developed in dialogue with the “Leipzig School”, with a particular emphasis on aspects of the sublime in landscape depictions. Bridges' most recent work both expands and complicates these established directions, intersecting modernist forms, schema for do-it-yourself sustainable technology, and landscape.

Leigh Bridges has exhibited across Canada, in the United States and overseas, most recently in Toronto, Montreal, Berlin, Vancouver, Melbourne, Seattle and Skien, Norway. Her work is part of several corporate collections, including Bank of Montreal, Toronto Dominion Bank, and Global Affairs Canada. Bridges holds a position of Assistant Professor of Art and Design at the University of Manitoba.


General Artist Statement

"Broadly, my work explores the subject of provisional living and the sublime pastoral. To me, these subjects suggest conditions of wonder, uncertainty, anxiety as well as openness to possibilities. This paradox motivates my work. Sources are varied, ranging from survivalist manuals, do-it-yourself backyard fort building, animation, folk tales, and 19th century romantic landscape paintings.

I am motivated by an interest in narrative, combined with what may seem to be the opposite impulse: a materialist approach. I look for moments of surprise, often the result of a competition between form and narrative. One painting can contain various senses of time, both as the suggestion of a moment in a narrative sequence, and in the layering and material evidence of the painting’s construction.

My work has been influenced by my experience living for extended periods in Edmonton, Vancouver and Berlin. In 2007, I returned from working for two years in Berlin, where I researched contemporary exhibitions as well as German Romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. Another strong motivational interest has been colour field abstraction and its phenomenological aspect, due in part to developmental time spent in Edmonton. Geographic locations have yielded physical and cultural landscapes which inform my work."


Leigh Bridges' Website

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019
  • Energetic Conduits, Palau Altea Centre D’Arts, Spain
  • Fold and Gather, Atelier Grafisch Amsterdam (AGALab)/Bouwput, Amsterdam
2016
2013
2009
  • Layabout, Atelierhof Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
2008
  • Outpost, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto.
2007
  • Hinterland, Bjornson Kajiwara Gallery, Vancouver
  • Canada Landscape People, Leif Magne Tangens Gallery, Skien, Norway
2005
  • Roughing It, Main Gallery, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022
2021
  • Rusted Sky, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2019
  • She Presses a Flower to her Cheek: A Feminist Revisioning of Colour Theory, SOA Permanent Collection Gallery, Winnipeg
2017
  • The Hidden, The Mysteries, Arebyte 17 Gallery, London, England
2015
  • Need Time, School of Art Gallery, Winnipeg
2013
2012
  • Lieux Échafaudé, Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal
  • Group Exhibition, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2011
  • International Contemporary Art Fair, Vancouver, with Deluge Contemporary Art
  • 7th Annual C Magazine Benefit Auction, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCA Toronto), Toronto, Canada
2010
  • Making Scenes, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
  • 6th Annual C Magazine Benefit Auction, Redbull Projects, Toronto
2009
  • Spring Fling 5, C Magazine Fundraiser, Birch Libralto Gallery, Toronto
  • Faculty Show, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver
2008
  • North South East West, Paul Petro Contemporary, Toronto
  • F**k the Little Man, National Museum, Berlin Germany
  • Christmas Spice, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
  • Toronto International Art Fair, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
  • Spring Fling 4 C Magazine Fundraiser, Birch Libralto Gallery, Toronto
2007
  • Somewhere Else, Peter Wilde Gallery, Berlin, Germany
 
  • Christmas Spice Paul Petro Contemporary, Toronto, Canada
 
  • Toronto International Art Fair Paul Petro Contemporary, Toronto, Canada
 
  • Rapt Contemporary Art Gallery Fundraiser, Rapt Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG), Vancouver, Canada
 
  • Spring Fling 3, C Magazine Fundraiser, Georgia Scherman Projects Toronto, Canada. Curated by Rosemary Heather
 
  • Nine Site Specific Landscapes, PROGRAM Gallery, Berlin, Germany Curated by Carson Chan
2006
  • Winter Celebration, Bjornson Kajiwara Gallery. Vancouver, Canada
 
  • Toronto International Art Fair, Bjornson Kajiwara Gallery. Toronto, Canada
 
  • Selecta 2006, WestSpace, Melbourne, Australia
 
  • False Start, AEDC Project Space, Berlin, Germany
2005
  • Plus+, Bjornson Kajiwara Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
 
  • On Climate and Metabolism, Two person show, Production Studio Exhibitions, Vancouver, Canada. Curated by Lucy Pullen
2004
  • Institutionalized, Rogue Art Gallery, Victoria, Canada
 
  • Please Everyone, SOIL Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
 
  • Hurry Slowly Or Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
Education
2005
  • Master of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
1995 - 2002
  • Professional Development Courses Emily Carr Institute, Vancouver, Canada
1994
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
Publications
2011
  • Canadian Art Magazine, Art Hop Auction, September 2011
2008
  • Carte Blanche Vol.2 Painting Magenta Foundation
2007
  • Rapt - Contemporary Art Gallery Fundraiser Catalogue Preview Magazine - Review of Hinterland. Winter 2007/08
2006
  • Selecta 2006 Catalogue
 
  • d'Or (Goin' Solo) Catalogue, Sydney Hermant
2005
  • On Climate and Metabolism Essay Catalogue, Lucy Pullen
 
  • Small Wonder Review in Monday Magazine, Wendy Welch
2004
  • Please Everybody Essay Catalogue, Sarah Massecar
Awards
2015
  • Creative Works Grant, University of Manitoba
2004 - 2005
  • UVic Graduate Fellowship University of Victoria
2005
  • Travel Grant, University of Victoria
2003 - 2004
  • UVic Graduate Fellowship University of Victoria
2004
  • Travel Grant, University of Victoria
Professional Activities
2014 - Present
  • University of Manitoba — Associate Professor, Graphic Design and Art
2011
  • University of Manitoba — Sessional Instructor, Drawing and Visual Language
2004
  • University of Victoria—Sessional Instructor, Drawing 101
  • Development of curriculum, presentation of demonstrations and short lectures, facilitation of group discussions, group critiques, research field trips, etc.
Volunteer Activities
2004 - Present
  • www.indexproject.com. Online gallery/presentation space
2005
  • Production Studio Exhibitions. Vancouver, Canada
2003
  • Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG). Vancouver, Canada
 
  • Artropolis 2003. CBC Studios, Vancouver, Canada
2000-03
  • Act Locally Calendar. Vancouver, Canada