Aleksandra Rdest This body of work was created after my arrival in Newfoundland from Toronto; it was fertilized by the drive across the country to reach this place. Coming from a place of human proportions; everything is new to me here. The scale is epic. Rock and trees, lakes and the ocean. You can become consumed by the vastness; the enormity of ground you could cover. Or, you can become consumed by the details; the lichen and mosses can bring you to a standstill. While being an extension of my previous painterly pursuits, this work is a clarification of my ideas regarding the landscape in abstract painting: through abstraction we are able to see both the microscopic and the macro views through layers of one another in a unified plane. These pieces are created from a longing for a space and place which is within our reach but outside the realm of human experience; they create an experience that is formed from memories and desires. They have a seductive quality which draws the viewer in and suggestive details which hold their attention. I construct my paintings from many translucent layers of colour to create a deep rich space. These pieces were created in response to a particular place yet I feel they reflect the essence of the Canadian landscape in a way that is fresh and distinctly contemporary. Using references to film and digital photography I am re-iterating the mediated way that we experience the world; often through a window or a screen, rather than having a direct encounter. I use this method to call into question how we distance ourselves from our surroundings while living in them. Aleksandra Rdest Education 2002    Graduate Ontario College of Art and Design Solo Exhibitions 2008    Postcards From the Void, Tatar Gallery, Toronto 2007    New Work: Pouch Cove, James Baird Gallery Flower Studio, St. John's 2003    Pari Nadimi Gallery, Toronto Collections Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Holt Renfrew, Toronto Canaccord Capital Corporation, Houston Burnac Corporation, Toronto GMP, Montreal Private Collections Awards 2007   Short listed for the RBC Painting Competition Media Coverage "BlogTO" Profiles of emerging artists "Na Luzie" OMNI Television's Polish-language culture program; feature segment, December 2008 “Glowing Reviews for Aleks Rdest” Current Magazine, August 2007 Angela Antle, Interview, CBC Radio July 22, 2007 "Aleks Rdest's Paintings" Current Magazine, March 2007 "Living in NL" CBC Television St. John's, March 5, 2007 Hohmann, Skye. “Interview with Aleksandra Rdest” Rind Magazine , rindmag.com Professional Experience 2008    Present: Associate, Tatar Gallery 2003 – 2006    Director, Tatar Gallery 2002    Assistant Director, Tatar Gallery 2002    Gallery Assistant, Angell Gallery Selected Group Exhibitions 2009    Impulse Equation, Switch Contemporary, Toronto 2009    By Degrees, Sopa Fine Arts, Kelowna 2009    Pool NY Art Fair, New York 2009    Works on Paper, Sopa Fine Arts, Kelowna 2008    SOPA Fine Arts, Kelowna 2007    ? Group Exhibit, Bjornson Kajiwara Gallery, Vancouver 2007    Fuzz, Newzones, Calgary 2007    Le Soleil Noir, Tatar Gallery, Toronto 2006    My Secret City, part of Nuit Blanche Toronto 2006    Spell, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, ON 2006    Galerie D'Este, Montreal 2006    In Transit, Gosia Koscielak Studio and Gallery, Chicago 2006    NOVA Art Fair Chicago with Gosia Koscielak Studio and Gallery 2006    Young Toronto Painters, James Baird Gallery>Pouch Cove, NFLD 2006    Generated Habitats, 2-1022 Queen Street West, Toronto 2005    Spell, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon 2005    Spell, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa 2005    Big Show, 1139 College Street, Toronto 2004    Trans Tokyo, Propeller Centre for the Arts, Toronto 2004    Trans, Big Studio Gallery, Yokohama, Japan Scholarships and Grants 2007   Canada Council for the Arts Production Grant 2002   David L. Stevenson Scholarship 2001   A.V. Issacs Tuition Scholarship Catalogues 2008    Magenta Foundation's Publication Carte Blanche: Painting 2007    RBC Painting Competition, Semi Finalist Exhibition Catalogue 2007    Pouch Cove Foundation Fundraiser 2007, Art Auction Catalogue, Toronto 2006    Skye Hohmann, Generated Habitats, 2-1022 Queen Street West, Toronto ON 2005    Jordan Broadworth, Jonathan Forrest, Spell, Mendell Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK 2005    Ann Ireland, Michelle Jaques, Big Show, 1139 College Street, Toronto 2003 – 2005    Art With Heart, Casey House Art Auction Catalogue, Toronto Related Activities 2009    Co-Curator, Upcycling: Recuperating Past Lives, A Pop up Exhibit in the Future Home of A+D                 Architecture and Design Museum, Los Angeles 2007    Artist Talk: OCAD painting thesis students,   2006    Pouch Cove Artist Residency, Oct/Nov 2006    Co-Curator, Generated Habitats, Toronto 2006    Visiting Artist, Fanshaw College, London, ON 2004    Co-Curator, Trans Tokyo Propeller Centre for the Arts, Toronto