Opening Reception: Thursday, April 28, 2016
Nicholas Metivier Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of photographs by Ned Pratt. The exhibition will open on April 28th and run until May 21st with an opening reception on April 28th. This is Pratt’s first solo exhibition at the gallery.
Ned Pratt was born, raised and currently lives in Newfoundland. His understanding of the province's beautiful but harsh landscape is the foundation of his work. Pratt’s photographs simultaneously capture the essence of Canada’s eastern shores while remaining largely abstract. His use of a frontal perspective simplifies the landscape into a painterly arrangement of shapes, colours, and textures.
Pratt's first exhibition at the gallery features photographs from his surroundings over the course of several years, highlighting the weathering effects of rain, snow, ice and wind. In all of the images, an entire stretch or at least part of the horizon line is visible. Pratt plays with the tension of what lies above and below it. Colour, or the absence of colour, also plays a central role in the exhibition. Pratt elates in the minimalism of winter as the monochromatic palette complements his formal sensibility. Conversely, Pratt also seeks out colour, when available, in the smallest and most unusual locations and brings it to the forefront.
Many of Newfoundland’s most iconic places are included in this exhibition including historic Fogo Island and more remote and lesser-known areas like the Connaigre Peninsula. Pratt’s insider perspective reveals his profound respect and admiration for a place that as he describes, “is not for the faint of heart”.
Pratt has exhibited throughout Canada and in the United States. His work is included in several corporate and museum collections including The Rooms, Newfoundland and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Pratt’s work has been collected across Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
