Giuseppe Di Leo
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Artist statement
“Drawing, notably continues to be significant to my form of expression. It is a romantic endeavour; a form of escape that is transcendental in nature. Once I am confined within its parameters I am entangled within that world. Drawing is the lens par excellence enabling me to see more profoundly and record intimately the extend of the human ordeal. This modality of art making gives shape to my experiences, and underscores the principles and values I consider essential.
The drawings are existential portraits and a probe to record and conger vivid expressions of an imagined and complex world. It affords me a space to wander intuitively, to be curious, to question and challenge what I see and understand, and strangely enough, to reflect more profoundly. A means of disclosure and reminder of what it means to be human. Throughout my practice the human figure continues to be central. I situate it as an emblem measuring my implication in the human condition.
In particular I envision the body dualistically with the potential to be simultaneously a victim and / or a violator. This notion among others, draws attention to the notion of “twins” as an ideological, political, and social construct representing the sacred and profane. Through the sensitive application of the graphite medium, I hope to convey the essence of this experience more profoundly.
Truthful recording; faithful rendering has been the preferred method of drawing for the better part of my career because it affords me the time to stay focused amidst distractions inherent in routine of living. This model, as a work ethic, involves a harsh process of concentration; it is time consuming, meditative, intimate, spiritual, unsettling, orderly and disorderly, an exorcism of sorts, evocative and deeply satisfying, if and only when it comes to fruition.”
—Giuseppe Di Leo
Biography
Born in Italy, Giuseppe Di Leo received an Honour’s BFA from Concordia University in 1978 and shortly after completed a Master’s degree at York University, Toronto where he held his first solo exhibition at the Oakville and Gairloch Galleries, Ont. in 1980. Throughout his career, Di Leo has maintained a practice in drawing and watercolour and has participated in a number of exhibitions held in cultural institutions and private galleries in Canada, Italy, and Mexico. His drawings have been reviewed in various publications, and are featured in both museum and corporate collections including Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Loto-Quebec, and the Canada Council Art Bank.
Over the last decade concurrent to his practice and teaching, he has been active as Director and curator of the Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery at Dawson College.
Important exhibition projects have included various solo and group exhibitions, at McBride Gallery, Mtl., Waddington and Gorce, Mtl; Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ont.; Musée d’Art Contemporain des Laurentides, Qué; Musée du Québec; Justina Barnicke Gallery, University of Toronto; Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, Palermo, Italy; Kalenarte, Casacalenda, Italy; Museo de las Bellas Artes, Guadalajara, Mexico.