Lorraine Simms Eidolons
Lorraine Simms, Hippo Amphibias, AMNH # 70019 (Hippo pelvis, no data), 2021. Photo : Paul Litherland
Opening on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 5 pm
Commented Visit of the Exhibition on November 17, 2020, at 5:30 pm
In this exhibition Montreal artist Lorraine Simms presents drawings that represent the cast shadows of animal bones and skins. These spirit-images, or Eidolons, propose an unexpected and surprising representation of the natural world. Based on research undertaken in the Mammalogy Department at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Simms focused on animals considered endangered or vulnerable. Whales, polar bears and elephants are just a few of the iconic animals depicted by the ghostly shadows of their remains. Suggesting presence and absence, Simms’ drawings become poignant reminders of key environmental issues such as habitat loss and the extinction of animal species.
Arranging specimens on her drawing paper Simms meticulously traces, documents and then renders their multiple cast shadows. Because these drawings are direct transcriptions, they maintain an indelible link to the material world. This indexical relationship enables us to view these often-abstract drawings as evidence of disappearance, both of an individual animal and of its species.
The strong attention to detail evident in these works evokes the deep and persistent looking characteristic of scientific investigation; however, these drawings reconsider animal artifacts in distinctly unscientific ways. By focusing on the uniqueness of each specimen, Simms acknowledges the individuality of these anonymous animal remains. She proposes an alternative to looking at animals through the lens of ordered taxonomies and suggests other ways of knowing based on reverence, empathy and kinship. The drawings in Eidolons highlight the deep and sometimes mysterious bond we experience between our own species and others.
The artist wishes to thank the following museum specialists for their assistance in the research of this project at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Ross MacPhee, Eleanor Hoeger, Sara Ketelsen, Marisa Surovy.
Lorraine Simms, Hippo Amphibias, AMNH # 70019 (Hippo pelvis, no data), 2021. Photo : Paul Litherland
Lorraine Simms is a Canadian artist based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal, the unceded Indigenous territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation. It is with gratitude that she lives and works in this territory.
Lorraine Simms has exhibited her artwork across Canada and in the United States over a career that spans more than 30 years. She has participated in notable residencies, including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Simms is the recipient of numerous grants from the Conseil des arts et des letters du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts. She has held teaching positions at Concordia University and Dawson College in Montreal and curated numerous exhibitions. Important recent exhibitions of her drawings have taken place at the Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa, December 2021 – September 2022) and the Illingworth Kerr Gallery (Calgary, January – March 2022).
Lorraine Simms created this video to present her work which will be exhibited at OBORO from November 5th to December 10th, 2022.
Lorraine Simms, Eidolons, 2022. Photo : Paul Litherland
Lorraine Simms, Eidolons, 2022. Photo : Paul Litherland
Lorraine Simms, Eidolons, 2022. Photo : Paul Litherland
Lorraine Simms, Eidolons, 2022. Photo : Paul Litherland
Lorraine Simms, Eidolons, 2022. Photo : Paul Litherland
Lorraine Simms, Eidolons, 2022. Photo : Paul Litherland