Biography & Statement

As a child, I remember gravitating towards certain objects: beautiful, stylish, kitschy objects. I spent a large portion of my childhood at my grandparents’ house, filled with dusty tchotchkes and elegant Victorian antiques. I squandered hours alone with these otherworldly objects, developing a sensibility for decorative camp.

I would run my finger along a pair of bronze horses or satin lampshades and watch the dust lift and settle atop a porcelain ballerina figurine below. I would arrange and rearrange a collection of plastic fruit in a wicker bowl, discovering endless configurations. The ultimate fantasy was imagining how I would display this collection of (seemingly) invaluable heirlooms in my someday home. I now own these objects, and I have found a home for them in my painting.

My recent work examines gay male subjectivity through highly rendered, figurative paintings. More specifically, it explores the relationship between queer sensibility and gender. Why are certain traits, tendencies or objects socially coded as unmanly, effeminate or limp-wristed? How do traditional concepts of masculinity affect queer sensibilities like beauty, glamour and camp? How do these concepts contribute to homophobia, stereotyping, and the devaluation of these sensibilities? I explore these questions through the objects I choose to represent in my paintings. Plastic fruit, porcelain dolls, freshly cut flowers and a cast of hands compose the theatrical narratives in this recent body of work.

Ian Stone’s interest and exploration with painting began after his BFA in traditional Printmaking from NSCAD in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With a strong interest in self-portraiture and identity politics, the technical aspect of layering and printing was transferred to a figurative realism. He continued his studies at Concordia University with an MFA in painting and drawing. His work can be found in numerous private and public collections, including the Florida State University Museum and the National Palace of culture in Sofia, Bulgaria.  

Curriculum Vitæ

Education

2004-2008 Concordia University, MFA Painting and Drawing, Montréal, Québec
2001-2003 NSCAD University, BFA Print Media, Halifax, Nova Scotia
1999-2001 Dawson College, DEC (Fine Arts) Montréal, Québec

Solo Exhibitions

2020 BBAM! Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, You’re gayer than a picnic basket?
2020 Artist Project, booth 1027, Toronto
2018 BBAM! Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, What are you into?
2017 Galerie ERGA, Montreal, Québec. Year one
2014 Galerie de la Ville, Dollards des Ormeaux, Québec, Menacing Sublime
2011 Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Consuming Defeat
2010 McClure Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Defeating Victory
2008 Luz Gallery, Belgo Building, Montréal, Québec, Call to Adventure
2008 Argyle Fine Art, Halifax, Nova Scotia, After the Ever After
2007 Art Mûr, Montréal, Québec, After the Ever After
2005 Argyle Fine Art, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Familiar Guidance; Tales and Fairies
2005 Le Bourget Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Familiar Guidance
2003 Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Plamondon’s Redemption; Varied Edition

Select Group Exhibitions

2020 NO END IN SIGHT – Virtual exhibition with Vantage art projects.
2019 Booth Gallery, New York. Microdose – a small works show
2019 SUPERFINE art fair, Soho, New York city.
2017 Kingston Portrait Prize, FireHall Theatre, Gananoque, Brampton, Toronto, Ontario.
2017 Elena Lee Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Cadence.
2015 Linus Gallery, Pasadena, California, Chromatic.
2015 Department of Canadian Heritage, “youth”, outdoor exhibition Clarendon Lanes Courtyard, Ottawa
2013 Kingston Portrait Prize: Art Gallery of Calgary, Alberta
2013 Kingston Portrait Prize; FireHall Gllery, Gananoque, Ontario
2012 Marché Saint-Jacques, Montréal, Québec, Les Refusés.
2012 Studio 105, Montréal, Québec. Earth Tones
2011 McClure Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Square Affair
2010 Florida State University Museum, Florida, Tallahassee International
2008 McClure Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Collected Visions
2007 Beaverbrook Gallery, Fredericton, N.B, Marion McCain Atlantic Art Exhibition
2007 Argyle Fine Art, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sweet Tooth Exhibition
2006 Art Mûr, Montréal, Québec, BOURGET; White Cube on the Move, (MFA Exhibition)
2005 Atelier Circulaire, Montréal, Québec, Small-scale Reproduction
2004 Manly Art Gallery, Manly, Australia, Miniare
2004 Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Northwest Cultural Council’s Self-Portrait Exhibition
2004 Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Montréal, Québec, Alumni Exhibition
2004 Argyle Fine Art, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 3 x 4
2004 Salle Alfred-Pellan, Maison de la Culture de Laval. Estampes
2004 National Palace of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria, Lessedra Miniprint International 2004
2003 National Palace of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria, Lessedra Miniprint International 2003
2003 Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Anna’s Auction Party
2003 Khyber Centre for the Arts, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fool Hearted Gala
2002 416 West Gallery, Denison, Texas, Masters of Print
2002 Maison de la culture, Montréal, Québec, Miniare, International Biennial
2001 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec, Albert-du-Mouchel

Collections

Florida State University Museum
National Palace of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria
Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec; Artist Portfolio, Concordia University

Reviews

2020 Cult MTL: Arts, out to lunch. Vol 9 #4 (exhibition review)
2020 Willpower Magazine, september issue, Painterly realism with Ian Stone
2014 Dailybreak CBC News, Menacing Sublime promo
2011 Ex_Situ, numéro 19, hiver 2011: Le regard de l’artiste sur l’environnement
2011 Dailybreak CBC News, Consuming Defeat promo
2011 The Daily Xtra, Ian Shatilla: Masking Grief. (Feb 25)
2010 Westmount Independent, Bruce Roberts and Ian Shatilla: Expressive Form (Jan 19)
2010 La Nouvelle, Shatilla show brightens up Victoria Avenue. (Jan 18)
2010 Florida Tribune, article Tallahassee International
2008 The McGill Tribune, Montréal, Québec, article Call to Adventure
2006 Concordia Journal. Art movers decide to shake it up (April 20)
2005 The Chronicle Herald, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Spotlight (May 28)
2005 The Daily News, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Arts and More (June 9)
2004 The Daily News, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Barometer Rising, Up and Comers (Feb 26)
2003 5163 NSCAD University Alumni magazine

Publications

2014 Florida State University Museum, Tallahassee International
2012 Décover, Les Refusés.
2011 Florida State University Museum, Tallahassee International,
2010 Florida State University Museum, Tallahassee International
2010 McClure Gallery, Defeating Victory
2007 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Marion McCain Atlantic Art Exhibition