James Gardner As Gardens Need Walls

October 14 to November 13, 2021

Galerie Nicolas Robert Toronto is pleased to present As Gardens Need Walls, James Gardner’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. Continuing his research into image philosophies within Western esotericism, this show focuses on architectural motifs from the visual cultures associated with the Ars memoriae. Also referred to as Mnemotechnics, the “Art of Memory” is an mnemonic image-based memory system originating in antiquity that was employed by monks and theologians to cultivate complex imaginal spaces for holding vast amounts of information. Surveying this tradition by delving into image archives such as the Warburg Iconographic Database, Gardner’s paintings utilize the cloisters, “intercolumnar,” and arched-in spaces described in these memory systems. Developing his own mnemonics and imaginal spaces through painting, Gardner also reinscribes these architectures with his own visual experiences of the archways skirting his Montreal Studio or the pillars and train bridges he passes on his daily commute along the Lachine Canal. Going well beyond simple memorization, the practitioners of the Ars memoriae emphasized that it was vital to cultivate these imaginal spaces in order to develop and transform our subjectivities. Contemporarily, this research reflects the important role images have in identity formation. As gardens need walls, our subjectivities need the imaginal.

Born in Kitchener, Ontario, James Gardner currently lives in Montreal, having just graduated from the MFA program at Concordia University. His recent solo exhibitions include Syzygy at McClure Gallery (Montreal 2018), Vessels and Broods at Concordia’s MFA Gallery (Montreal 2020), and To Climb A Tall Pine at Galerie Nicolas Robert (Montreal 2021). During his studies at Concordia, Gardner received multiple scholarships and awards including the Tom Hopkins Memorial Graduate Award and the Joseph-Armand-Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC). Throughout his career, Gardner’s work has been supported by the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council, the TFVA’s Artist Prize, as well as grants from Canada Council for the Arts. Recently, Gardner was awarded the 2020 Petry Award and the William Blair Bruce European Travel Scholarship which will take him on a research trip to Greece, Turkey, and Sweden to continue his research on Western esoteric imagery as it relates to the Art of Memory and Monastic image traditions.