Group Exhibition

The Abstract Line includes a selection of artworks of three artists from the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie’s Permanent Collection. The exhibition features paintings and 3D relief sculptures presenting a range of abstract experimentations, techniques, and styles used by Ron Kostyniuk, Jim Stokes, and Robert Guest.  

To liberate themselves from presenting natural forms with traditional painting methods, the artists chose to depict geometric patterns and shapes, and to reflect on relationships within architectural spaces, colours, and natural light. The Abstract Line aims to push the invisible boundaries of painting through the manipulation and exploration of line and colour, providing a glimpse into the different ways the artists have individually experimented with art making over the course of their careers.

Ron Kostyniuk was influenced by his experience living in the prairies, his artworks feature geometric shapes and architectural forms, alluding to grain bins and fields. Jim Stokes was interested in studying the smaller architectural spaces of prairie life, and expressed it through the usage of abstract stripes, pop imagery, and by flattening 3D objects. Finally Robert Guest, who was well known for his Peace Region landscapes, looked at exploring the colours and angles of objects with these selected artworks.

This exhibition was curated by Manar Abo Touk, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie