”Art is enchantment and artists have the right of spells.
Jeanette Winterson
With shared commitment to the exploration of technical and material processes as well as thematic links among their individual works, Nicholas Crombach and Nurielle Stern began working collaboratively in 2017. Petrichor, their second substantial collaborative exhibition, engages with concepts including mythology, folklore, art history, horticulture, and archeology. Offering viewers an immersive environment rich with imagery and texture, Petrichor is made visually cohesive using large-scale skeletal greenhouse structures, dark walls, and cool lighting.
The exhibition spaces at the MacLaren Art Centre display works by each artist set in close proximity to each other, offering connections and conversations among the pieces. Both artists are interested in the nuances of attraction and repulsion and exploit this duality in multiple works. Crombach and Stern have carefully crafted the world of Petrichor; an imaginarium of works that pull viewers in through visual enchantment and then offer multiple meanings.
Petrichor is curated by Sheila McMath.
Sheila McMath acknowledges the Ontario Arts Council (Arts Response Initiative) for supporting her independent curatorial practice.