Samantha Walrod: Off The Beaten Path

Newzones is thrilled to present “Off the Beaten Path”, an upcoming solo exhibition of new work by Albertan contemporary artist, Samantha Walrod.

“Off the Beaten Path” considers how humans view and interact with wildlife in the Canadian wilderness from a “close” distance. Motorists and hikers observe animals from cars and trails while the animals watch in return. Bears, elk, and wolves are depicted on the edge of the wilderness, adjacent to roads and thoroughfares, visible to humans before disappearing onto paths less accessible to human transportation. Walrod’s artwork represents a fleeting moment of human/animal interaction while observing the essential but shrinking distance between human/animal habitats.

Samantha Walrod’s work is influenced by similarities and differences between imagined and reconstructed environments. She uses many layers of paint, collage, photography and inks, as tactility is a very important element of her practice. Images are incorporated with collage and digital technologies, while maintaining the exploration of paint. In reconstructing disparate images from various sources including art history, popular culture and her own photos, Walrod addresses the cultural construction of nature. The act of collage brings construction to the surface of Samantha Walrod’s artworks; the edges of ripped paper, slight tonal difference in the photographs and the addition of paint and mixed media on top of the images all act as a filter or an interpretation of the subject matter.