Ellen Bleiwas’ sculptural practice is rooted in space, the body, slowness, and sensory perception. She draws upon compression, tunnelling, and interiority to create holey enclosures that can be gradually permeated. Leading to an ostensible destination, these enclosures are inevitably empty, framing a confrontation with self. This is paired with a probing of materiality. She gravitates towards naturally derived, industrially produced insulators, including latex, clay, beeswax, and industrial felt. Bleiwas’ process entails repeating a single action – such as wrapping, binding, cutting, or spiralling – until process generates form.
Ellen Bleiwas is a visual artist based in Toronto. She holds an MFA from York University (2017) and a Master of Architecture from McGill University (2010). Bleiwas has recently exhibited at Idea Exchange (Cambridge), Angell Gallery (Toronto), and Art Mûr (Montreal). She has participated in artist residencies including Takt Kunstprojektraum (Berlin), Artscape Gibraltar Point (Toronto), the School of Visual Arts (New York), and 401 Richmond through the 2017-18 Career Launcher Prize (Toronto). Her practice has been supported through grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Bleiwas just completed a residency at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program. For this residency at NARS, Bleiwas gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Ellen Bleiwas' residency at NARS is made possible by Canada Council for the Arts.
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