bio: Alexander Alter

Alexander Alter divides his time between Toronto and Milan. His artistic practice began as an examination of his upbringing in suburban Toronto; this led him to a broader contextualization of his work and further development within his visual language.

Canadians live within a two-language system and in multi-cultural communities, where there is no clear common ground for expression. But memory of place and surroundings, through which we form common connections, is as much a part of our language as the spoken word. This memory of place can itself become a language, a visual native tongue, creating a line of sight within a greater whole.

Alter approaches his work by using a ‘montage palette’. Interrupting and re-adapting conventional approaches, he melds photography, drawing and painting through computer software. His current process is one of cross-pollination of the physical, the vernacular and the symbolic aspects of an image. Through visual cues and the use of recurring motifs, Alter’s work connects and juxtaposes images and image fragments, each of which enhances the others’ strengths and their unique rhythms.

These unique rhythms are akin to elements in music such as fugue, or to a cinematic montage: a golden thread of similarities, connections and comparisons are formed. Whether in art, music or cinema… interpretations of metaphor, rhythm and image can be montaged to modern evolving narratives. Alter believes this is all reflected and sourced back to our multicultural societies as they emerge and evolve.

    Presently he is a full-time faculty member at Ryerson University, within the Image Arts program teaching Photography. He previously taught for 14 years at the Ontario College of Art and Design within the Design program.

MFA., in Graphic Design, Cranbrook Academy of Art

A.O.C.A., in Fine Art & Design, Ontario College of Art & Design

Representation

Daniele Xibilia
danielex7@hotmail.com