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Steven Laurie
Installation/Sculpture/ Performance artist.

2001 Honors Diploma, OCAD Alumni. Toronto
2005 MFA, University of Western Ontario. London

ARTIST STATEMENT

My interdisciplinary studio practice consists of designing and fabricating homebrew prototype machines, handheld tools and site specific image-based installation projects. Considered by some people as “hyper-masculine” or examples of “boy art”, my work thoughtfully glimpses at the unfolding aspects of masculinity through the visual cues of working class consciousness, cultural truisms, prototypes and customs. I employ traditions of performance art, kinetic sculpture and mark-making to consider how actions/processes such as burning rubber, engine revving and stereo thumping are used to communicate a sense of working-class kinship and residency. These everyday subversions are pared down in my work by building and demonstrating stylish petrol fired machines that generate tire smoke and sound through the output of torque, friction, heat, vibration and engine exhaust. The materials in my work reference Princess Auto and Canadian Tire as a means to concede to a type of lowbrow consumer glut that is bred from a vision of ‘ultimate’ performance and a yearning to tune and tweak. From a personal connection to a blue-collar lifestyle my artwork hints towards pastime activities like customization, modification and maintenance as insightful moments of spatial production and cultural expression.

BIOGRAPHY

Steven Laurie was born in the city of Oshawa and was raised in the neighboring town of Whitby Ontario. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design with honors in the disciplines of sculpture/installation, receiving the Seiji Award for Public Installation/Social Sculpture and the George A. Reid Award for Proficiency in Sculpture and Installation. Steven Laurie completed his Masters degree in visual art at the University of Western Ontario. He is a 2007 recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts Project Assistance Grant and presently lives and has a studio in Toronto Ontario Canada.

CURRICULUM VITAE

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND AWARDS
2008
Ontario Arts Council, Emerging Artist Grant
2007
Toronto Arts Council, Level One Artist Grant
Ontario Arts Council, Exhibition Assistance Grant
2006
Canada Council for the Arts, Project Grant
2003-05
Special University Graduate Tuition Scholarship, U.W.O.
2003
Ontario Art Council Exhibition Assistance Grant.
2002
Seiji Award for proficiency in Public/ Social Sculpture, O.C.A.D.
George A. Reid Award for proficiency in Sculpture/ Installation, O.C.A.D.

FUTURE EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS
2012
Clutch, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Waterloo, ON (Travelling Group Exhibit)
TBA, Hamilton Artist Inc., Hamilton ON (Solo)
2011
Mark-Making: Tools of a Trade, Public Installation

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2008
Art of The Motor, Station Gallery, Whitby ON
2006
Give’r, Jack Shainman Gallery. New York NY
2005
Celebratory Angst: Riggin’ the Exhaust, U.W.O. ArtLAB. London ON
2002
KIT #1, The schoolBUS Project. Toronto ON

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011
Speed Demon, Museum London, London ON (Group)
2010
GEAR HEADS, A.K.A., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Group)
2008
TONE DEAF, Modern Fuel Artist Run Center, Kingston
Being There, Burlington Art Centre, Burlington ON
2007
Love/Hate: The New Crowned Glory of the G.T.A., Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (M.O.C.C.A.) Toronto ON
Urbanvisions 07, MacLaren Art Centre. Barrie ON
Burning Rubber, St. Mary’s University Art Gallery. Halifax NS
2006
Kaleidoscope, Juried Members Exhibition. Station Gallery. Whitby ON
BIG, Durham Galleries. Durham ON
2005
Showcase 05, Cambridge Galleries. Cambridge ON
The Association, ArtLAB. U.W.O. London ON
Frost Free: The Culture of Cool, U.W.O. ArtLAB. London ON
2004
included in the present classification, U.W.O. ArtLAB. London ON
2003
Baghdad, Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, Bowmanville
Random Cities, McLaughlin Gallery. Oshawa ON
Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Visual Art Centre of Clarington. Bowmanville ON
2002
Go West, DeLeon White Gallery. Toronto ON
Annual End of year Exhibition, O.C.A.D. Toronto ON
Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Visual Art Centre of Clarington. Bowmanville ON (Best in Show award)
Pop Culture Then and Now, Station Gallery. Whitby ON
2001
READ, The schoolBUS Project. Toronto ON
Food, Mind, Body, and Soul, Station Gallery. Whitby ON (Best in Show award)
Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Visual Art Centre of Clarington. Bowmanville ON (Best in Show award)
Fiction and Non-Fiction, Atrium Café at O.C.A.D. Toronto ON
2000
Annual End of Year Exhibition, O.C.A.D. Toronto ON
Time Machine, Station Gallery. Whitby ON (First Place Award)
1999
Y2K, Atrium Café at O.C.A.D. Toronto ON

PUBLIC ART AND INSTALLATIONS
2010
BANK ON ART, Toronto ON
2008
Mud Flap Project, Public Installation and Traveling Exhibition

ART FAIR EXHIBITIONS
2005
MOCCA 900, Toronto International Art Fair. Feature Artist, M.O.C.C.A. Toronto ON

INVITED CONFERENCES
2005
Frost Free: The Culture of Cool, ArtLAB, U.W.O. London, ON
Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, ArtLAB, U.W.O. London, ON

INVITED ARTIST TALKS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS
2008
Artist Talk, Interaccess, Toronto, ON.
2007
Jury Committee, Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Station Gallery
Artistic Vision Consultant, Station Gallery, Whitby, ON
Burning Rubber, St. Mary’s University Art Gallery. Halifax NS
2006
Sheridan College (Fall Semester). Oakville ON
2009
Artist Talk, InterAccess Artist Run Center, Toronto ON

CATALOGUE PUBLICATIONS
2008
Art of the Motor, Exhibition Catalogue, Whibty: Station Gallery ISBN:978-0-9690917-4-5
2007
Burning Rubber, Halifax : Saint Mary's University Art Gallery ISBN: 9781895763010
2005
SHOWCASE 05 : curated by Ivan Jurakic, Cambridge Galleries and David Liss, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. Cambridge: Cambridge Galleries.
2003
Random cities: curated by Olexander Wlasenko. Oshawa: The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. ISBN: 0921500769

TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY
2009
Burning Rubber, BRAVO: Television Documentary. Director Ariella Pahlke, Halifax NS

PUBLISHED ESSAYS AND WRITTEN WORKS
2010
GEAR HEADS, AKA Artist Run Center, Saskatoon SK
2008
Art of the Motor, Station Gallery, Whitby ON
2007
Burnouts, Burning Rubber Exhibition catalogue essay, curated by Ariella Pahlke. Halifax: St. Mary’s University Art Gallery ISBN: 9781895763010
2005
Celebratory Angst: Performing Masculinity, MFA Graduate Thesis

Websites:
www.vimeo.com/StevenLaurie
www.culturegrounds.org/steven_laurie/

-Urbanvisions07- Barrie, Ontario Exhibition Video
Donut Machine, 2007 from StevenLaurie

-Burning Rubber- Halifax, NS Exhibition Video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzIn3UCBOqc

Station Gallery Performance
youtube.com/watch?v=Guy_YDc1iro

Mondo Magazine Article by: Carolyn Tripp
www.mondomagazine.net/2009/06/artist-profile-steven-laurie/

bartgazzola.com/aword/reviews/gearheads-not-your-fathers-...

www.akagallery.org/archives/gearheadsessay.html

Contact:
steven.laurie@hotmail.com