Rui Pimenta

ui Pimenta's paintings have been exhibited in juried group and solo exhibitions and are included in various private collections. He was awarded an honourable mention for mixed media in the 2006 Toronto Outdoor art Exhibition, was best in show at the 2007 Ontario Society of Artists open juried exhibition and made the short list for the first round of the RBC painting competition in the central Canada region.

He works predominantly with water based and fluid mediums on translucent surfaces, such as glass, plexi and wax. By presenting his paintings in a multi-layered, three dimensional format light and shadow are incorporated as essential elements of the work's overall composition. "I am fascinated by the properties of these mediums and the variety of ways in which they may be arranged. It is especially exciting when my paintings, despite being manipulated by my hands, exhibit a creative autonomy that appears to transcend my intentions". It is this push and pull between the calculated and the accidental that best exemplifies both the meaning and the act of creativity in his art work. "I am struck with a sense of wonder and confusion at how I both see myself reflected in my work, as well as, something which appears utterly foreign. Such an occurrence is inspiring and I use my work as an exercise in setting up and addressing this otherness. It is a practice which is central to how I understand 'abstract' art since my work is ultimately an abstraction of myself".

Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Rui Pimenta lives and works in Toronto, Canada. A predominately self-taught artist he graduated from York University in Toronto with honours in Philosophy and Humanities. He has also studied at The Toronto School of Art.

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