Mike Nelson lives and works in London and in the last decade has been included in major group and solo exhibitions around the world including the Venice Biennale where he represented Britain; the ICA in London; the 13th Sydney Biennale; the 8th International Istanbul Biennial; the 3rd Singapore Biennial; PS1, New York; the Moderna Musset, Stockholm; Modern Art, Oxford; the Tate Terminal, and the Hayward Gallery, London. In 2001 he was a recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Award and has twice been short-listed for the Turner Prize.

University of Guelph

6th Annual Shenkman Lecture in Contemporary Art
Featuring: Mike Nelson
Contemporary British Installation Artist

www.uoguelph.ca/sofam/shenkman

Born in Loughborough (UK), Mike Nelson lives and works in London and in the last decade has been included in major group and solo exhibitions around the world including the Venice Biennale where he represented Britain; the ICA in London; the 13th Sydney Biennale; the 8th International Istanbul Biennial; the 3rd Singapore Biennial; PS1, New York; the Moderna Musset, Stockholm; Modern Art, Oxford; the Tate Terminal, and the Hayward Gallery, London. In 2001 he was a recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Award and has twice been short-listed for the Turner Prize.

In his installations, Mr. Nelson creates narratives, not unlike a novelist; however the materials of his storytelling are not characters and plot, but rather, objects and space. His desire in fabricating these rooms, through a combination of persuasion and seduction, is to involve the viewer in the 'atmosphere' in which they find themselves. In his piece for the British pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale, "I, Imposter", he substituted images of Istanbul from a work he made for the 2003 biennial there, and superimposed them in Venice in 2011. The resulting installation of a photographer's darkroom was a compelling accommodation between displacement and re-creation, the making of a migratory, changeable narrative of two cities, Istanbul and Venice, and two frames of mind, the east and the west. The way viewers react to this work is consistent with other of his installations: mystery mixed with uncertainty, even a tinge of fearfulness. Robert Enright, University of Guelph Research Chair in Art Criticism, will join Mike Nelson on stage to talk about his work and life.

Wednesday March 21, 2012
Lecture location - War Memorial Hall
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Lecture: 6 pm

For more information contact:
Sandra Sabatini Ph.D.
Dean's Office,
College of Arts
University of Guelph
519.824.4120. x53869
sabatini@uoguelph.ca

Campus Map and Parking Information
www.parking.uoguelph.ca/images/CampusMap2010_11.pdf

The University of Guelph's Masters of Fine Arts candidates are pleased to invite you to visit our studios in conjunction with the 2012 Shenkman Lecture in Contemporary Art, presented by British artist, Mike Nelson.

Wednesday March 21, 2012.

Studios open 1–5pm and 7–9pm
Studios in Blackwood Hall, Firehall, and Alexander Hall.
Shenkman Lecture: 6 pm, War Memorial Hall, University of Guelph.

Featuring work by graduate candidates:
Laura Anderson, Jennifer Carvalho, Aryen Hoekstra, Benjamin Klein, Amy Lockhart, Jenine Marsh, Ella McGeough, Dustin Wilson, Nadia Belerique, Marco D'Andrea, Julia Hall, Melissa Hamonic, David Hucal, Erica Mendritzki

And introducing work by Specialized Studio undergraduates:
Victoria Dziuma, D'Arcy Flynn, Joshua Guthrie, Amy Hallman, Ye Han ,Tess Martens, Graham Ragan, Nicole Runham , Nick Silvani, Elizabeth Sullivan, Kate Szabo ,Christina teBokkel, Vanessa Tignanelli, Jessie Toonn, Victoria Vaitekunas , Leah Williams

Open Studios offers visitors a rare inside view into the development of new work within the hothouse environment of an art program. The public is invited to preview work in progress and chat with the artists in an informal environment.

The University of Guelph offers a two year Master of Fine Arts Degree that combines intensive studio concentration with seminars in theory and pedagogy. Exceptionally committed graduate faculty and limited student enrollment result in a community that is intensely involved in contemporary art and its discourse. A consistently excellent program of visiting artists, critics and curators extends this community.

Recent notable alumni include: Jessica Groome (2011) Beth Stuart (2009),Hyang Cho (2009), John Eisler (2009), Kevin Rodgers (2008) Kristan Horton (2007), Kerri Ried (2006), Melanie Authier (2006), Martin Golland (2006), Zin Taylor (2005), Sarah Cale (2005), and Derek Sullivan (2002), among many others.

For more information about the Shenkman Lecture in Contemporary Art, Open Studios and maps, please go to: www.uoguelph.ca/sofam/shenkman

Press Contact
Monica Tap, Open Studios Coordinator: mtap@ouguelph.ca
Erica Mendritzki, Graduate Open Studios Coordinator: openstudiosmfa@gmail.com