J Cacciola Gallery

More dark art. I almost had to take a step back. Montréal based artist Sophie Jodoin created some really haunting images and they’re on display now at the J. Cacciola Gallery. I liked her work the best but was also glad that if I needed to feel lighter I could turn to the happy go lucky whimsical rainbow colors of Jeffrey Beauchamp. The exhibit of Go Figure is a well balanced mix of colors, feeling and things stripped down. Its all very raw.
The J. Cacciola Gallery is small and for the most part the pieces are of large scale. The room felt narrow and since it was an opening reception there was a full house. I went in support of a friend but would prefer this gallery on a less busy day. Opening receptions are a great kick off and celebration but not the best way to enjoy the art. The room was tight and there was barely any breathing room.

We ended up at this gallery because a co-​intern and I decided that we wanted to go somewhere to waste time after work and wind down. We decided to try going somewhere cool and different… preferably somewhere with alcohol involved.
We’d found a gallery opening which was described as a, «Sculpture-​based manifestations of existential torture using piano wires, plastic magnifying glasses, glass beads and shadows. Perfect for the unemployed, homeless or tragically hip.»
We ended up at the gallery next door because it was more crowded, which is why I’m reviewing this one. There were three different artists featured, all of which had very different styles.
I’m not an extremely artsy person but my fellow co-​worker is an art minor so she helped to… no, rather… she carried the conversation with me. I just answered her intelligent questions and I thought I sounded pretty clever myself.
The highlight of my evening was when a guy approached us and tried to strike up conversation. Unfortunately I ruined my chances of conversing with him, my co-​intern did much better.
Him: *Pointing to a canvas of lots of bright coloured paint all swooshed (impressive word hey?) together* «How would you describe this painting in one word?»
Me: «Vomit?»
*Awkward silence*
My co-​intern: «Nature… because»
This is when my eyes glazed over and I entertained myself by wandering around looking at the art work and sipping on my free white wine. Success.
I feel like I should try explaining why I liked the gallery briefly as I’m reviewing the place, not my awkward experience which I fully enjoyed, so here goes: The gallery was small but cozy, and the sampling of artists was diverse enough to cross a wide range of tastes. Bravo.
Sorry, I had to.