Origins: Celtic Series

Description:

Origins: Celtic Series was an exhibition of collages by Al Neil, each based on a photograph of the artist taken by Carole Itter and transformed through photocopy, enlargement, coloration, and re-photography. The altered portraits were juxtaposed with pages from the medieval illuminated manuscript The Book of Kells, which Neil invoked both as a reference to his Celtic heritage and as a source of mystic inspiration—illumination in both the literal and figurative sense. The series brings together Neil’s ancestral, theoretical, and philosophical roots with his poetic and spiritual sources. Emphasizing the retrospective and autobiographical nature of the work, Neil requested that the opening reception coincide with his sixty-fifth birthday.

The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue with a text by Neil, and essays by Scott Watson, Alex Varty, and Annette Hurtig, as well as photographs by Stan Douglas. 

Curated by Annette Hurtig.