One, and Two, and More Than Two

Micah Lexier

Past Exhibition

Sep 21 2013 – Jan 05 2014

Micah Lexier in collaboration with Derek McCormack, I am the Coin, 2010. 20,000 custom-minted coins. Courtesy Birch Libralato, Toronto. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

CURATOR: GAËTANE VERNA

One, and Two, and More Than Two presents a survey of significant work by Toronto-based artist Micah Lexier. United by his interests in temporal and graphic systems of organization and measurement, this exhibition brings together an important selection of recent work that reflects the artist’s diverse and dynamic practice. Whether working individually (One), in a collaborative process (Two), or encompassing more than one hundred different artists (More than Two), Lexier’s work evinces witty and playful reflections on the creative processes of making and presenting art.

At the level of One, this exhibition features personal projects such as Self-Portrait as a Wall Text (1998/2013), a seminal self-descriptive artwork that Lexier originally produced at the age of thirty-seven. Lexier pairs this with an updated version made specifically for The Power Plant, where both works are presented for the first time. Likewise, Working as a Drawing displays a selection of 470 working documents culled from the last thirty-two years of his own artmaking. Additionally, Lexier presents a new video installation entitled This One, That One, which explores the concepts of collecting and ordering seen that run throughout the exhibition.

Our north gallery is devoted to Two, Lexier’s collaborations with writers, including: Two Equal Texts (1998/2007), a complex anagram work made with poet Christian Bök; I Am The Coin (2010), in which Lexier custom minted twenty-thousand coins with a text by novelist Derek McCormack; and 1334 Words for 1334 Students (2008), a project Lexier made with writer Colm Tóibín who wrote a short story as many words long as there were students in Mississauga’s Cawthra Park Secondary School.

At his most ambitious, however, is Lexier’s More Than Two (Let It Make Itself), a curatorial project that displays over 200 new and recently created artworks and objects by 101 artists/duos/collectives in and around Toronto. Encompassing artists at varying stages of their careers, Lexier presents his take on the wide-ranging, multi-generational portrait of a robust Toronto art community. In seeking to celebrate this expansive community, Lexier brings to The Power Plant an incisive look at the networks of creative production that surround it. “The thirty vitrines that constitute the exhibition”, he states, “house my personal take on some of the wonderful, inventive, like-minded objects that I encountered during my research.” More Than Two is in constant dialogue with Lexier's whole exhibition, enabling audiences to see and experience the artist’s multi-faceted practice. One, and Two, and More Than Two is a vibrant portrait of not only an artist but of his practice as well as his diverse community.

Micah Lexier (born Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1960) is an artist and curator living and working in Toronto. Over the last thirty years, Lexier has participated in a large number of international and national solo exhibitions and group exhibitions, and has produced several local public commissions. His work is found in various collections, including: The British Museum, London; the Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia; The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; and The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. He is represented by Birch Contemporary, Toronto.

MORE THAN TWO ARTIST LIST

Stephen Andrews Romas Astrauskas Nadia Belerique Danielle Bessada Katie Bethune-Leamen Peter Bowyer Adam David Brown James Carl Maryanne Casasanta Carlo Cesta Kai Chan Miles Collyer Lyndsey Cope Chris Curreri Tom Dean Georgia Dickie John Dickson Kim Dorland Dave Dyment John Eisler Liza Eurich Ric Evans Robert Fones Claire Greenshaw Maggie Groat Brian Groombridge Janice Gurney David Hanes Jesse Harris Joel Herman Patrick Howlett Hanna Hur Lili Huston-Herterich Daniel Hutchinson Luis Jacob		Geoffrey James Jeremy Jansen Kelly Jazvac Laurie Kang Jean-Paul Kelly Matt King Tania Kitchell Shane Krepakevich Nestor Kruger Kristiina Lahde Mark Laliberte Cameron Lee Jimmy Limit Tessar Lo Corwyn Lund Annie MacDonell Vanessa Maltese Kelly Mark Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins John Marriott John Massey Niall McClelland Laura McCoy Abby McGuane David Merritt Hazel Meyer Kim Moodie Dax Morrison Jennifer Murphy Lisa Neighbour Ken Nicol Nick Ostoff Roula Partheniou Andy Patton		Gordon Peterson Paulette Phillips Howard Podeswa Margaret Priest Leah Rainey Sandra Rechico Susana Reisman Ted Rettig Jillian Kay Ross Allison Rowe Lyla Rye Jonathan Sabine Jon Sasaki Callum Schuster Jennifer Rose Sciarrino Jonathan Scott Ron Shuebrook Michael Snow Sally Späth Richard Storms Beth Stuart Jeannie Thib Josh Thorpe and David Court Flavio Trevisan Jeff Tutt Jim Verburg VSVSVS Joy Walker Jacob Whibley Jay Wilson and Jack Wilson Nikki Woolsey Naomi Yasui

Contest

Micah Lexier, Fill in the Blanks (For The Power Plant), 2013.

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We invite you to elaborate on the site-specific work on the exterior of our building, all part of the current exhibition. Guess the artist's answer to this word puzzle and enter the contest at the gallery to receive a special prize.

Rules:
Only one entry per person. Entries with profanities or hateful remarks will not be considered. The gallery reserves the right to publish all entries.