Yellow Matter

About Yellow Matter

The colour catches your eye at first— a rich, egg yolk yellow. The form is intriguing—organic. This is Shayne Dark. The Kingston based sculptor is known for his enigmatic and compelling abstract sculptures inspired by the natural world. With his latest series of wall reliefs, Dark has once again turned to nature. Hand formed of plaster, fiberglass, resin and flocking; the sculpted reliefs are highly textured. The colour is wholly contemporary.

“The forms the series references are tree growths, wood burls, twisted and irregular in shapes that are often covered in a mossy growth of various colours. The exterior of tree burls have a tactile quality and I am interested in the rough, intricate twists and rope-like bark. The works in the series are abstract representations of the cavities, fibrous ropey curves and markings on the exterior. “ Shayne Dark

“While Dark clearly appreciates the raw potency of natural forms, he imposes his artistic will on them.” David Liss, Artistic Director and Curator, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art

He was the artist in residence at the Brooklyn botanic garden in 2016 following a successful residency at the Albright Knox and Buffalo botanical garden in 2015 and a feature article on his work in Sculpture magazine. At Art Basel in Toronto, Dark was named one of the top ten artists to watch. In 2017, Dark had a solo exhibition at New York’s Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the following year he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 2022, Dark exhibited at the Cloud 9 Eco-Art Festival at No. 9 Gardens in the Rideau Lakes, Ontario. His work can be found in numerous private, corporate, and public collections.