Gisele Amantea Democracy

Gisele Amantea (Montreal, Quebec) was one of over 60 artists who participated in Oh, Canada at MASS MoCA in 2012. The exhibition was the largest survey of contemporary Canadian art ever organized in the United States, featuring artists from nearly every province and territory across Canada.

Amantea’s work in the Hunter Center Hallway remained on view for an additional year following the end of Oh, Canada. The installation, titled Democracy, refers to the writings and philosophy of Louis Sullivan, the groundbreaking architect whose work overlapped and drew from the Arts and Crafts revival movement (1860-1920). Artists of the Arts and Crafts movement—like William Morris of England and Gustav Stickley of the United States—called for an understanding of ornament and design based on ideas of natural law, which also encapsulated Sullivan’s vision for a democratic America. For her work, Amantea has adapted one of Sullivan’s designs, rendering it in repeating patterns using black flocking. Flocking is a material made of small fibers that create dense, felt-like textures.

Oh, Canada is supported by presenting sponsors Canada Council for the Arts and TD Bank Group, with additional support from the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation, Francis J. Greenburger and Time Equities, Inc., the Canadian Consulate General, Manulife Financial, Scott and Ellen Hand, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Democracy, 2012
Flocking