Dots, Lines, and Some Violence by Aaron Outhwaite
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Aaron Outhwaite’s exhibition, "Dots, Lines, and Some Violence," explores the violent statistics we consume every day. Aaron's work provides a visual context and understanding of the true magnitude of the numbers left behind by brutality.
Asked not to speak publicly about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, or to join the hundreds of millions of voices around the world demanding a ceasefire, Aaron instead said nothing with his words and focused his time and energy on representing the horrifying statistics being released by the UN and other media sources.
Using a combination of minimalism and abstract expressionism, Outhwaite aims to show the viewer what these numbers actually look like, appealing to the humanity of death and injury rather than the politics of sides.
About the Artist: Aaron Outhwaite
Aaron Outhwaite is a Canadian multi-disciplinary artist and maker based in North Bay, Ontario. Originally from Winnipeg, Aaron spent much of his youth moving across the western provinces of Canada before finally settling in Halifax, where he attended Dalhousie University on a Fine Arts scholarship.
Choosing instead to study Engineering, and eventually Architecture, Aaron spent the next 20 years in academics, studying and lecturing on topics related to urban ecology and how we design (and build) the spaces we live in. During this time, Aaron used his art practice as a means of unstructured experimentation to both contrast and compliment the rigors of scientific investigation. Focusing on materials and techniques rather than finished work, Aaron developed his multi-disciplinary approach to making to explore functional art, functionless engineering, and the meaning of space.
Working between disciplines in collaborative teams, Aaron’s work has received widespread attention and publication both nationally and internationally, and has won numerous awards, including National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Council for the Arts, and Arts Nova Scotia awards. In 2018, Aaron became the first Visiting Research Fellow in Ceramic Systems at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Aaron’s artwork has been in galleries across Canada, with the upcoming Dots, Lines and Some Violence the artist’s first solo exhibition.
Aaron’s work is influenced by a wide range of artists, makers, engineers and architects, as well as popular culture, science fiction, and futurism. A short list of influences includes artists Hans Haacke, Wim Delvoye, and Tom Sachs, artist/architect Lebbeus Woods, engineer/architect Buckminster Fuller, art/architecture critic Reyner Banham, and makers Charles and Ray Eames.
