Michael Davidson is a Toronto based painter with a BFA from the University of Guelph (1988). He exhibits his paintings internationally with most recent exhibitions in Los Angeles and Singapore. His work can be found in collections in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. Davidson’s paintings are included in the acclaimed Carte Blanche 2: Painting – a survey of new Canadian painting (2009) and The 60 Painters exhibition and catalogue in Toronto, Canada (2012). Davidson lives and works in Toronto.  

 

Arts Writer Shannon Anderson wrote of Davidson’s work; “Elemental forces are at work here. Davidson speaks of a desire to convey a unification of opposites inthis body of work. He draws from Jung’s notions of individuation: a process of psychological transformation that includes the realization that all of the seeming polarizations of the world—us and them, good and evil, strong and weak—are in fact intertwined and interdependent. In these paintings, a delicate balance is sought between figure and ground, dark and light, and abstraction and representation.”

 

Instagram: Zencrusher 

Born: London, Ontario, Canada, 1953.

Represented  by: C4 Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA. United States.

     TAKSU Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, MY. Singapore, SG. 

      Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, AB. Canada.

      Francesca de Medici Gallery, Rome, Italy.

 

Education

​1984-1988   BFA, Honours Degree, University of Guelph, Canada.

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Solo Exhibitions

​2019.    Thelonious, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

​2016     Magistrati, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.   

​2014     The Key In The Lock, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto,                                    Canada.

2013     Seven Sisters,C4 Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 

2012     Stone Age, C4 Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 

2011     Darklight Hours, B Contemporary, Hamilton, Canada. 

2011     Zencrusher, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto, Canada. 

2011     Stillness Wave, Transit gallery, Hamilton, Canada.

2009     What Is Kept, Transit Gallery, Hamilton, Canada. 

2004     TRiFECTA, Zsa Zsa Gallery, Toronto, Canada.

2004     New Paintings, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Toronto, Canada.

Group Exhibitions

​2019     Tao Hua Tan Residency Exhibition, Tao Hua Tan, China.

2019     Damn Good Paintings, Herringer kiss gallery, Calgary, Alberta.

2019     Black, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Alberta.

2018     Inaugural, Francesca de Medici Gallery, Rome, Italy.

2018     Fever Dreams, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Ontario.

2018     Imago Mundi, Benetton Collection, OCADU OnSite, Toronto, Ontario.

2018     Sampler 2018, Inaugural Exhibition, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary,                                Alberta

2018     Summer 18, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Alberta.

2017     I Can See My Breath, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto.

2017     Great And North, Imago Mundi, Benetton Collection, Palazzo Loredan,                          Venice, Italy.

2017     Summer show, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario.

2017     HK Summer 17 Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

2017     June Selection, TAKSU Gallery, Singapore, Singapore.

2016     Summer Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

2016     Pillow Talk, with Nicole Collins, DaveandJenn, David Urban and Gina                            Rorai,  General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto, Canada.

2015     Season Group Show, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto,                                     Canada. 

2015     HK Summer Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada. 

2015     New Year New Artists, Herringer Kiss gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 

2014     Propellers To Palms, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto                                    Canada. 

2013     Dark History, B Contemporary, Hamilton, Canada.

2013     Skipping Stones, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto, Canada. 

2013     Undertone, with Tony Twigg (AU), Norberto Roldan (PH), Sang Taek Oh                        (KR), TAKSU Gallery, Singapore, Singapore.

2012    Zencrusher Preview, TAKSU Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2012     Eight Of Sixty, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto, Canada.                                60P,   Humber College,  Toronto, Canada.

2011     AutoPlasmic, McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Canada.

2010     Group Show, Transit gallery, Hamilton, Canada.

2009     Group Show, Transit Gallery, Hamilton, Canada.

2008     Giant, 10th Anniversary, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Toronto, Canada. 

2008     Group Show, Transit Gallery, Hamilton, Canada.

2007     Building Picturing, The Painting Center, New York, New York, USA. 

2006     Colony, Sixty4steps, two person, Toronto, Canada.

2005     Crossing The Line, The Painting Center, New York, New York, USA. 

2003     Advent, Halde Gallery, Widen, Zurich, Switzerland

2002     20th Anniversary Exhibition, Triangle New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA.

2002     Summer Show, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Toronto Canada. 

2001     Inaugural Exhibition, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Canada. 

2001     Paintings Painted, Platform Gallery, two person, London, England. 

2001     TRANSlinear, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia,                                            Cambridge Art Gallery, Cambridge, Ontario, PlugIn Gallery,                                    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

2000     TRANSlinear, The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Tom                         Thomson Memorial  Art Gallery, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada    

1999     TRANSlinear McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 

1999     Resolute, Platform Gallery, London, England.

1998     Acquisitions, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto,                                        Canada. 

1997     Invitational, Sable-Castelli Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Related Experience

​2019     Tao Hua Tan, Artist Residency, Anhui Province, China.

2017     ARTSY, w/ Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary.

2017     Art Toronto, Herringer Kiss gallery, Calgary.

2015     Sointula, Sointula Art Shed, British Columbia, residency.

2015     OCADU, Crit Club, guest critic, Toronto. 

2015     Art Toronto, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto.

2014     Papier 14, General Hardware Contemporary, Montreal

2013     Kentucky Night Tremor, in Sound Guelph, published 2013, Guelph 

2013     OCADU, Florence Semester, guest artist critique, Italy

2012     SCOPE Miami Art Fair, General Hardware Contemporary, Miami 

2012     Art Toronto, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto, Canada.

2012     Zayed University, guest lecturer, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

2012     TARP Preview, Taksu Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2012     TARP, Taksu Galleries, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, residency.

2012     Toronto School of Art, teaching sessions, Toronto, Canada. 

2011     AutoPlasmic, McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Canada, Curator. 

2008     Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, USA, residency.

2008     Dedalus Foundation, Assistance Grant, Vermont Studio Center.

2008     CB2, included in Carte Blanche 2, Magenta Foundation, Toronto,                                        Canada. 

2008     TIAF, Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto, Canada.

2007     TIAF, Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto, Canada.

2007     Walter Tandy Murch, research project with Ihor Holubizky, California,                                USA.

2007     26, Michael Davidson, book launch, Translinear Publishing, David                                        Mirvish Books, Toronto, Canada.

2006     Eighteen Works, installation with Nicole Collins, Royal Bank of Canada,                               Toronto, Canada.

2004     Death In The Studio, N. Lederer, H. Priesch, book, Vienna, Austria,                                   New York, New York, USA.

2002     Triangle, New York, New York, USA, residency.

2002     Abstraction In the 20th Century, University of Toronto, guest lecturer. 

2002     Through the Translinear, Toronto School of Art, guest lecturer.

2002-1999     TRANSlinear with Ihor Holubizky, touring in Canada, Co-Curator.

 

Public and Private collections in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and United States. 

Residencies

2019 Tao Hua Tan, 5th International Artist Residency, Anhui Province, China

2015 Sointula Art Shed, Sointula, Malcolm Island, British Columbia, Canada.

2012 Artist Residency Program, Taksu Galleries, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2008 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, United States.

2002 Triangle New York, New York City, New York, United States.

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Publications

​2019 Black, Herringer Kiss Gallery, review Galeries West, Calgary, Alberta.

2018 Rae Johnson: The City, The paintings of Rae Johnson, Christopher Cutts                                Gallery, Toronto.

2017 Devil On A Leash, A Possible Framing Of Tumbleweed Expeditions And                                 Hallucinatory Amusements, The work of Matt Blackwell,                                         Edward Thorp Gallery, NYC.

2017 Far Away, So Close, The Paintings of Azadeh Almizadeh, exhibition essay,                           Michael Davidson,  26, Toronto.

2016 Here, Alone Together, The Paintings of Stella Cade, exhibition essay,                                   Michael Davidson, 26, Toronto.

2016   Pillow Talk exhibition Akimbo Review by Terrence Dick

2016   Pillow Talk exhibition Artoronto.ca Review by Vanessa Zeoli

2016   All The Spaces, Janice Gurney, A letter From Michael Davidson,                                        Western/McIntosh.

2016   Pillow Talk, Matthew Ryan Smith, General Hardware Contemporary,                                  Toronto.

2014   On The Paintings Of Norberto Roldan, Michael Davidson, Taksu,                                         Singapore.

2014   The Soul In September, w/ Andy Patton, Nicole Collins, Jacques Oule,                            Erin Loree, John Brown, Amanda Clyne and Rebecca Ladds,                                            exhibition essay, Michael Davidson, curated by Michael                                                       Davidson, 26, Toronto.

2014   Universe As Mind, Doubled By Pity And A Mirror, The Paintings Of Ayad                         Sinawi, exhibition essay, Michael Davidson, 26, Toronto

2014   Montrealistement Presse, Papier 14, General Hardware Contemporary,                        Montreal.

2014   Polar Forces, The Key In The Lock, exhibition essay, Shannon Anderson.

2014   Art at 26, 26 exhibition article, Nicole Collins, OCADU Newsletter,                                        curated  by Michael Davidson and Nicole Collins.

2014   Is The Arts Salon Set To Make A Comeback In Toronto? 26 exhibition                                   review,   Aubrey Jax, Blog T.O., curated by Michael Davidson                                       and Nicole Collins, 

2013   Seven Sisters, webpage, C4 Contemporary, Los Angeles, Jonathan                                           Dewdney,  

2013   Gallery A Haven For Unconventional Artists, 26 exhibition review,                                             Murray   Whyte,Toronto Star, curated by Michael Davidson                                     and Nicole Collins.          

2013   Suspended: The Work of Jacques Oulé,  26 exhibition essay, Michael                                              Davidson.

2013   Undertone, exhibition e-catalogue, Taksu Gallery, Singapore.

2012   60 Painters:A Class Act, Canadian Art Online, Barbara Hobot.

2012   Stone Age, webpage, C4 Contemporary, Los Angeles, Jonathan                                               Dewdney.

2012   Conversations Between A Writer And A Painter, interview, Donald                                                Brackett.   

2011   Interior Paramour, essay for Zencrusher exhibition, Donald Brackett.

2011   A Contradictory Show From The Curio Cabinets, exhibition review, R.M.  

           Vaughan, The Globe and Mail, Curated by Michael Davidson.

2011   AutoPlasmic, exhibition catalogue essay, Michael Davidson.

2010   The Donovan Collection, catalogue, Father Daniel Donovan.

2009   26, book review, University of Toronto Quarterly, Vladimir Spicanovic

2009   The Spirit of Things, exhibition catalogue for Walter Tandy Murch,                                          Michael  Davidson, photo credits.

2008   CB2, Carte Blanche 2, book, Magenta Foundation.

2007   26, book, The Paintings of Michael Davidson, essays by Nicole Collins,

             Father Daniel Donovan, Ihor Holubizky, François Xavier St. Pierre.           

2004   Death In The Studio, book, N. Lederer, H. Priesch, Vienna, Austria

             New York, United States.

2002   New Paintings, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, exhibition review, Si Si                              Peneloza, Now Magazine.

2001   Nicole Collins and Michael Davidson at Platform, exhibition review, 

            Michael Coomer, TimeOut London, UK.

2000   TransLinear, exhibition review, Mark Cheetham, Canadian Art, curated

            by Michael Davidson.

1999   TransLinear, exhibition catalogue, with essays by Michael Davidson,                                Ihor   Holubizky, David Moos, Joseph Wolin.

1995   MUD, exhibition review, Betty Ann Jordan, Canadian Art.

1994   The Big Picture, MUD review, Oliver Girling.

1994   Painterly Collective Throws Mud In Your Eye, review, Christopher Hume,

            The Toronto Star.

1994   MUD, catalogue essay, Ihor Holubizky.

1993   Résidence, book, Sylvie Fortin, La Chambre Blanche, Quebec.                   

1992   Searching For My Mother’s Garden, exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery of                                 Mississauga.