MIXED MEDIA ONTARIO, CANADA Rod Mireau’s practice explores tensions between the natural world and the industrial, informed by his upbringing in Saskatchewan, and the enduring memory of abandoned farm equipment embedded within and overgrown by the landscape. Using elemental materials such as reclaimed wood, metal, and charcoal grit that are imbued with their own sense of transformation and history, Mireau’s process combines practical engineering with dreamlike creativity. Recent large wall sculptures mark a departure from previous work to incorporate representational elements and landscapes. Although rooted in memory, Mireau’s compositions are largely imagined and instinctively constructed, using recognisable geological forms to conjure spaces that feel familiar but are outside of specific time or place. This notion of world-building is important. The fragmentary make-up of Mireau’s work, whether figurative or abstract, suggests both building and dismantling, archaeology and memory. Through his material explorations he finds new possibilities and creates a transitional space, where the organic meets the mechanical, and alternative worlds can be formed. Rod Mireau (b. Saskatchewan, 1971) began his career as a sculptor after studying at Ontario College of Art and Design (1993 – 1997). He received an Ontario Arts Grant in 2006 and the Award of Excellence at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition in 2008. His work has been exhibited in New York and across Ontario, including a monumental solo exhibition at The Art Gallery of Peterborough in 2018. Mireau’s work is held in private and corporate collections including Holt Renfrew, Vancouver; Four Seasons, Dubai; William Vale Hotel, New York; Ron Joyce Children’s Hospital, Hamilton; and several Toronto condominiums including Pier 27, Tea House and Pears Avenue.