Hashimoto Contemporary is pleased to present Pathetic Fallacy, a solo exhibition by Toronto, Canada based artist Sarah Joncas. Pathetic Fallacy will be Joncas’ inaugural solo exhibition at Hashimoto Contemporary, in which she uses elements of nature and abstract forms to help illustrate the characteristics and emotions of her figures. Personified symbolic details such as butterflies, tentacles, sailboats and various types of foliage interact and compliment the figures, creating mystical landscapes.

By definition, the term ‘pathetic fallacy’ defines the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals. This term is especially utilized to define techniques in art and literature. For her latest body of work, Joncas created a series of twenty-one new portraits, primarily in oil and acrylic paint, exploring the device of pathetic fallacy. Meticulously rendered figures are bathed in light, with the skin taking on a bright, almost translucent quality. Nymph-like figures are adorned with flowers and delicately ornate accessories, with hair that is softly tousled and cascading down their shoulders. Beautiful faces with tranquil, dreamy expressions stare off into the distance, lost in their own thoughts and universes.

The artist merges abstract form with recognizable objects and animals, the surreal with the familiar. By doing so, Joncas asks the viewer to pause to unearth the deeper meaning and messages behind each work. Like the figures represented in the artists works, we are meant to lose ourselves into their universe.

Please join us Saturday, August 3rd from 6pm - 8pm for the opening reception of Pathetic Fallacy. The artist will be in attendance. The gallery will be releasing a new limited edition print of A New Leaf (pictured) with the artist in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition. The print will first be available exclusively in person, with an online release scheduled for the week of August 5th.