#ReadAtlantic 2SLGBTQIA+ VOICES Staff Picks: Mallory Picks Stephen Andrews POV
Stephen Andrews POV
Edited by Kitty Scott
Goose Lane Editions
I don’t know about you, but one of the things that has enriched my life and provided me comfort these last two years has been to get a little perspective. Or, better yet, gaining multiple perspectives.
For over 30 years now Canadian-born artist Stephen Andrews has been playing with the game of perspective, and in Stephen Andrews POV, curator and editor Kitty Scott puts those perspectives on display in a whole new way.
I know, I know, they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I think nowadays it would be a discredit to publishing and book design not to! Just be prepared to change that judgement later if need be.
The cover and title of this book is what first drew me to it. The layering of the bright colours, the frame, the contrasting white space all coincides beautifully with what the inside of the book promises: “Embedding, layering, and erasing meaning, Andrews’s work creates a triangle, where meaning resides between the process of painting (magical and sensuous), the represented image (a chronicle of fragility and resilience), and the invitation to the viewer (to look carefully and engage).”
I love when art presents an invitation into a liminal space where you can explore and lounge in the process just as much (or more) as enjoying the final product. Andrew’s work promises to lead into the centre of some pretty heavy and relevant subject matter, but from the centre comes new perspective, and new perspective is refreshing, enlightening and exciting.
These days we are very used to hearing two sides of every story, whether it be political, historical, scientific or moral, but a binary is limiting, never the full picture. Andrews’ work and Scott’s curation break out of that black-and-white mould into a colourful world of layers upon layers of perspective that together make a frame—one that maybe we have never seen before.
What resides within the blank space of that frame? Let’s crack open that beautiful cover of Stephen Andrews POV and find out.
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