VICTORIA, BC.- The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria presents Powertrains and Peacocks, artist Clint Neufeld’s exploration of the beauty in the design and craftsmanship of everyday objects.

The exhibition runs from August 17 to October 28, 2012 in the AGGV’s LAB Gallery and demonstrates Neufeld’s engagement in not only the structure of the objects he uses but the history and context implied by the materials used to make them.

Powertrains and Peacocks, includes a new series of light boxes that use a clean contemporary aesthetic in the structure of their frames that contain silhouette like portraits of three opulent subjects: the peacock, the Trans-Am, and the chandelier.

Clint Neufeld demonstrates his skill as a sculptor with Sad Seahorse, a ceramic replica of a wilted Seahorse engine glazed in the colour of celadon china. Instead of presenting this stunning sculpture on the typical museum pedestal, Sad Seahorse is draped over an antique, floral upholstered settee which sits in elegant repose from its many years of use.

“Neufeld seems fascinated with older objects that were built before planned obsolescence took precedence,” said Nicole Stanbridge, AGGV Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. “His work harkens back to a time when quality, beauty and craftsmanship were channeled into these functional everyday objects.”

Clint Neufeld has exhibited across Canada and was recently featured in Oh Canada the largest survey of contemporary Canadian art ever produced outside of Canada at MASS MoCA in Massachusetts. The Saskatchewan based artist began his BFA at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and finished at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. In 2006 he completed his MFA at Concordia University.

The LAB is a contemporary experimental space designed specifically for presenting challenging and dynamic projects within the AGGV.