Kim Adams and David Hoffos
December 13, 2003 – February 22, 2004

This exhibition brings together the work of two of Canada’s most fascinating artists, Kim Adams and David Hoffos, both of whom have gained international recognition for their large-scale, mixed media installations.

Over the last twenty-five years, Ontario artist Kim Adams has created a lively and sophisticated body of sculpture by transforming the ordinary things of modern manufacturing into fantastical machines, miniature worlds and nomadic habitats. Through the alteration and playful manipulation of toys, train sets, discarded vehicles and industrial objects, Adams creates works of art that provide a sense of wonder about the world around us. He explores the idols, institutions and icons of our time, but often reveals the disquieting realities that hide beneath the surface of the play and innocence.

David Hoffos, aka “The Lethbridge Illusionist”, uses out-dated technologies, hand-made props and simple mechanical devices to create magical spaces in which fiction and reality seem to merge and science fiction seems like fact. Hoffos’ multi-media installations play in the realm of cinema, yet also use the magical modes of pre-film illusion: dioramas, zootropes and mirroring devices, to immerse the viewer in an environment of wonder, a dramatic mise en scene where time stands still and narrative ceases to exist. Yet, Hoffos reveals the inner workings of his illusions – placing the spectator both in a realm of suspended disbelief and making them an active participant in the creation of wonder.

Kim Adams has been a frequent participant in major solo and group exhibitions in Canada and abroad, exhibiting in some of the most prestigious international art exhibitions, including the Sydney Biennale of Contemporary Art, Skulptur Projekt 97 Munster (Germany) and InSite 97 in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. In 2001, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery (Toronto) featured a solo of exhibition of Adams’ work, including a new outdoor installation, large sculptural installations, small models and drawings, which was followed by a commission to create a permanent outdoor work for the Vancouver Art Gallery.

David Hoffos has exhibited his work across Canada and abroad in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Most recently these have included solo exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto); the Musée des beaux arts de Montreal; Galeria João Graça (Lisbon, Portugal); the Mcintosh Gallery (London, Ontario) and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (Lethbridge) and group exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Little Worlds at the Dunlop Art Gallery (Regina) and Singular Electrics, Fundacio Joan Miró (Barcelona, Spain).