Sarah, Duchess of York, opens T.M. Glass exhibition at Onsite Gallery

Sarah, Duchess of York, with President Sara Diamond at Onsite Gallery, photo by Kathryn Hollinrake
Thursday, May 9, 2019 - 2:30pm

A capacity crowd gathered yesterday evening for the opening night of Onsite Gallery’s new exhibition, T.M. Glass: The Audible Language of Flowers, which showcases the artist’s recent series of images featuring blooms from unique gardens across the globe and vessels from international museums.

Some of the images were photographed at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, England, a residence that Prince Andrew shares with his two daughters and Sarah, Duchess of York. The Duchess travelled to Toronto especially for the exhibition opening and highlighted the beauty and uniqueness of the artist’s work during her speech.

The artist, an Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) graduate, produces works that combine photography with digital painting, which allows complex adjustment of pixels to enhance the image. Inspired by 17th century European flower paintings, the result is an interesting combination of old and new.

“Flowers play a significant cultural role with their virtually audible messages of congratulations, condolences, get well, forgive me, welcome, and peace,” said Glass. 

The artist also recently started to use 3D printing technology to create sculptures of flowers in vases, based on photographic scans, which are shown in the exhibition. A video work in collaboration with Bob Ezrin, the Canadian producer behind Pink Floyd’s album The Wall is also displayed at the gallery for the public’s appreciation.

T.M. Glass: The Audible Language of Flowers is curated by Francisco Alvarez, Dorene & Peter Milligan Executive Director, OCAD U Galleries and is part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Supported by Epson, B3K, Phase One, Carlos Fernandes and Nexus, the exhibition is free and runs until August 18.

Poster: 
Sarah, Duchess of York, with Francisco Alvarez at Onsite Gallery, photo by Kathryn Hollinrake