Aleks Bartosik
Aleks Bartosik presently works from her studio in Toronto. She obtained her MFA degree from Concordia University in Montréal, Québec in 2005. Bartosik is a two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2004 and 2007) for her figurative painting and drawing, and is generously supported for her work by the Ontario Arts Council. As part of Bartosik’s research and artistic development, she is an active participant in artist residencies and project collaborations all over the world. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently in Canada, USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Bartosik’s work is represented by La Petite Mort Gallery (Ottawa, Ontario) and is collected by Headbones Gallery (Vernon, British Columbia). Bartosik is currently employed at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga) as a painting and drawing instructor.
"I am a visual artist working figuratively and most often large-scale, where I combine drawing elements with painting, performance, installation, sculpture, and film/video. I explore the boundaries between the real and the imaginary and investigate one’s ability and willingness to imagine, pretend, dream and suspend disbelief. I am interested in our repressed fears and the sense of wonder engendered through curiosity and dream. Experimentation with different disciplines, surfaces, and spaces, enables me to invite the viewer to wander the realms and playgrounds I create as my drawings transform (drawing performances). " —Aleks Bartosik