Chris Flodberg: Synthetic Dreams

Opening Saturday, March 11, 2023
1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Artist in attendance

“…. there is more than one way to paint and
it is never natural for me to paint in one way….”

TrépanierBaer is pleased to introduce Chris Flodberg, who will present an exciting new suite of paintings in an exhibition titled Synthetic Dreams.

The idea of abstraction has been germinating in Flodberg’s mind for a long time. At different intervals of his early career he had actually painted some one hundred abstract works, all of which he had destroyed. These experimental forays into abstraction came about because of a deeply felt need to experience art-marking more directly and spontaneously…The one constant in the artistic soul of Chris Flodberg that supersedes subject matter, technique, and style is a quest to probe the vital nature of art, an urgent need to experience the making of art as a genuine, unmitigated expression of self. 

[Monique Westra, Chris Flodberg Paintings, Douglas & McIntyre, 2016, p. 193]

In this suite of paintings, Flodberg returns to abstraction and the myriad of possibilities it offers, with many nods to works by Surrealist painters.  Anchoring the exhibition are large scale paintings featuring geometric forms that seem to float effortlessly in ethereal spaces, or interpose themselves in minimal and abstract settings. These paintings serve as a portals for the viewer, so they may to step into the dreamlike worlds depicted on canvas and experience their hypnotic effect, visually and viscerally.

Come and experience these mesmerizing paintings at TrépanierBaer this weekend. We look forward to seeing you.

Known for his prolific and ever-evolving artistic output, Chris Flodberg has shown his works both in private and public galleries and institutions in Alberta. Recent solo exhibitions include Chris Flodberg: In Review, 1990 to 2014 at the Whyte Museum of the Rockies, Banff, AB (2016), and Re-Constructed Warships, The Founder’s Gallery, Military Museums of Alberta, Calgary (2014) . He was included in the Made in Calgary: The 2000s survey curated by Katherine Ylitalo at the Glenbow Museum (2014/15), and in the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art (2007/08). His works are found in the permanent collections of the Glenbow Museum, the Nickle Galleries and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and in many private collections throughout the province.

Chris Flodberg lives and works in Calgary, Alberta. He studied at the University of Calgary, and obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta University of the Arts (1998); and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta (2000).

Image Credit:

January 27, 2023
Quadrilaterals #7
Acrylic on canvas
72″ x 60″