The Christopher Cutts Gallery is pleased to present our upcoming group exhibition, “The Empty Church.”

A pair of dogs fight, a woman dies over and over, a lover lies still in bed.

“The Empty Church” is a meditation on the loss of life, presenting and juxtaposing vastly different, often traumatic yet nuanced, depictions of death. From spectacles of violence to intimate reflections on mortality, the artworks on display convey grief, discomfort, and anxiety. The gallery’s blank walls, and the sanctity of the white cube, set the stage for the gnashing of teeth and inescapable loss of life. The viewer is enraptured in somebody’s losing battle - witnessing their loss, losing by their side.

“The Empty Church” will feature paintings, photography, and sculptural work by gallery artists such as Rae Johnson, Janieta Eyre, Sherri Hay, and Gordon Rayner. It will also premiere paintings by Toronto-based artists Shinae Kim and Jobelle Quijano.

The exhibition is divided into two thematic sections. The South Gallery features sensational outbursts of violence, while the North Gallery hosts perturbingly still and subtle contemplations of loss. The contrasting subject matter and jarring combination of moods will leave the viewer in a state of ambivalence, unsure of how to react to any one tragedy but forced to experience them all.

For instance, the crushing black and white crowds of Sherri Hay’s charcoal drawings (detail: left) suffocate the viewer amidst bloodthirsty games and performances, while Janieta Eyre’s series of Rehearsals (detail: right) casts the audience as voyeurs caught silently witnessing varying iterations of the artist’s death.