Onthecover:
“When in a natural setting such as a forest, we are sensitized to our surroundingsinamannerthatwedon'texperienceinanyurbansetting. The silence of a tree, blade of grass, or a moss-covered stone fills our peripherywithasenseoffamiliarityandcomfort.”-PeterHoffer Hoffer’spaintingsaremorerelationalthanrepresentational-heexplores treesasprotagonists.Hisapproachtoeachpaintingisnarrow,hesingles outatreeandpositionsitateyelevel.Asaresult,hecreatesanuncertain vantagepointofthetree'sdimension-eithertheviewerisclosetoitand itissmall,orfurtherawayandthetreehappenstobemassive.Regardless of the viewer’s perception, a confrontation happens that humanizes the tree itself. In Hoffer’s words, “the forest becomes a stage; the tree becomesanactor.”
Each painting in the exhibition is coated with a layer of resin, simultaneouslydistancingandimmersingtheviewer.Surfaceshavebeen marked,scratched,cracked,andseared,muchliketheterrainitself.The surfacelayersoftheseworksaredynamic,balancingbetweenthevarious states of the seasons. The random etching of the surface calls to task a questioning of materiality and value. The works fluctuate between rest and discontent. The preciousness of the objet d’art, as well as the peripheral landscape represented, is rediscovered like an artifact. The suggestedneglectthroughtimeissalvaged,preserved,anddisplayed.The markings on the paintings, inconsistencies in the resin surface, and the unrefinedfinishingofthecanvasstructurealludetoelementsoutsideof theartist’scontrol.Theresultinvokesasenseofabandonandahintofa work in transition. As the paintings draw attention to areas of the landscape that can be considered “less than spectacular," they force the viewertosearchforlandmarksormeaningwithinthecomposition.
PeterHofferlivesandworksinMontreal,Canada,andParis,France.He exhibits extensively throughout Canada, the eastern United States, and internationally. His work is placed in private collections worldwide includingtheMuséedesBeauxArtsinMontréal,theMuséeDuQuébec in Québec City, Bombardier, Royal Bank of Canada, and the corporate collectionsofFidelityInvestmentsUSA,BanqueNationale,andMichelin CanadaInc.
“Daphnis,”2024
acrylicandepoxyonboard
60x60in.
“Medici,”2024
acrylicandepoxyonboard
40x40in.
“Minerva,”2024
acrylicandepoxyonboard
60x40in.
“Labyrinth,”2024
acrylicandepoxyonboard
32x95in.
“Cotiere,”
acrylicandepoxyonboard
24x24in.
acrylicandepoxyonboard
24x24in.
