Trinity Western University's Department of Art + Design is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by faculty member Russell Leng. Leng’s exhibition Thru u is on view at the SAMC Gallery November 20-December 21, 2024.
This highly personal body of work represents a new direction in Leng’s practice over the past four years as he’s transitioned from abstraction to figuration. It was during the first months of the pandemic that human figures first began to appear in Leng’s usually abstract paintings.
"Amidst the tensions of global conflict, domestic politics and rising inequality, Leng’s figures offer a vision of interconnection and interdependence that is a balm to our contemporary sense of alienation."
As one gazes at these paintings, figures emerge from the highly textural surfaces—a hand, a head, a boot, a figure within a figure. These indistinct and abstract figures surface and dissolve, intertwine and merge, speaking to our fundamental interconnectedness. Leng explains that the paintings “explore where we begin and end in relation to one another” and invite the viewer to contemplate “the significance of the many subtle connections we share.”
Less representations of actual bodies and more symbolic messenger figures, Leng’s abstracted bodies gesture to a more gentle and supportive way of being together. Amidst the tensions of global conflict, domestic politics and rising inequality, Leng’s figures offer a vision of interconnection and interdependence that is a balm to our contemporary sense of alienation.
"Leng explains that the paintings 'explore where we begin and end in relation to one another” and invite the viewer to contemplate “the significance of the many subtle connections we share.'”
Of the exhibition, Gallery Coordinator and faculty member Alysha Creighton says, “I’ve been watching this body of work develop for several years. I’m so excited to be able to present this soulful and visually rich body of work at the SAMC Gallery.”
Thru u runs from November 20-December 21, 2024, at the SAMC Gallery on Trinity Western University’s Langley campus. The exhibition and events are free and open to the public.
Opening Reception + Artist Talk: November 21, 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Gallery Coffee Break: December 3, 10:30–11:00 a.m.
Exhibition Opening hours: See this page for the SAMC Gallery Exhibition hours.
About the artist
Russell Leng is an artist based in the Fraser Valley, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Stó:lō people. In 2020, his work shifted towards figuration to explore themes of interconnectedness and the intricate web of relationships that hold us together. In 2015, he was shortlisted for the RBC Painting Prize, the same year he joined Trinity Western University’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture. He currently serves as a Sessional Assistant Professor of Art + Design at TWU.
About the SAMC Gallery
The SAMC gallery was founded in 2017 and is the main exhibition space for the Department of Art + Design at Trinity Western University’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture. It hosts exhibitions of 2-3 professional artists and designers per year as well as two student exhibitions. The gallery is an important pedagogical space for the Department of Art + Design, exposing students to diverse professional art practices while also serving the wider campus community and the Langley public. The gallery is located in the Norma Marion Alloway Library building, directly adjacent to the Learning Commons, positioning it as an important learning space for the entire campus community. Learn more at the SAMC Gallery webpage.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has campuses in Canada in Langley, Richmond, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.