“Wisdom tells me I am nothing.
Love tells me I am everything.
Between the two my life flows.“
Magdolene Dykstra
August 13 - December 4, 2022
About the Exhibition
Magdolene Dykstra uses her fingertips as a tool to pinch pieces of clay, to press oxides onto paper, and to accumulate evidence of the simultaneous individuality and multiplicity of the self. Her simple and persistent gestures directly record her existence in and upon earth, and connect Dykstra to a lineage of mark makers from prehistoric caves to modern color fields. Although Dykstra is at home in this artistic legacy, she grapples with her inherent sense of belonging in the nation where she was born and still lives. As an Egyptian-Canadian, Dykstra is constantly and acutely aware that the color of her skin contrasts with Canada’s historic aspirations of whiteness. It is in this context that Dykstra continues to assert her existence and right to take up space.
At A-B Projects, Dykstra layers thousands upon thousands of her fingerprints into two thin but incredibly dense clusters. A site-specific installation against a giant plate glass window obscures a second site-specific installation on the back wall of the gallery. It is only by standing between the two works that each can be accessed in its entirety. In this space, Dykstra’s individual identification marks are clearly articulated, but their combined mass shields her interiority. Dykstra is at once visible and invisible; we are at once unique and ubiquitous.
*Title quoted from Maharaj, Sri Nisargadatta. I Am That. Chetana Private Ltd, Mumbai, 1999.
About the Artist
Magdolene Dykstra explores the simultaneous individuality and multiplicity of the self. She studied biology and visual arts for her undergraduate degree and received her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dykstra has participated in residencies at the Medalta Historic Clay District, the Watershed Center for Arts and Crafts, and Concordia University. Dykstra has been awarded several grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Notable exhibitions include a site-specific installation at the Gardiner Museum (Toronto, ON) and a solo exhibition at the Jane Hartsook Gallery (New York, NY). Find out more about her work @magidykstra and https://magdolenedykstra.com.