In Montreal, ‘Summoning the Ineffable’ at Patel Brown

Upon visiting Patel Brown Gallery in Montreal, I was met with a very large-scale woodcut–an impressive feat on its own–but, what was doubly striking about the piece was the artist’s reliance on an almost entirely black surface, with the figures taking up space somewhat nebulously, due to carefully overlaid thin cuts. I saw that the artist who created not just this woodcut, but others in the exhibit, is Sergio Suárez, who references Mesoamerican cosmological theories, cathedral paintings, metaphysics, music, philosophy, and more. I realized that each of the six artists in this group show, titled Summoning the Ineffable, mined the cultural and craft histories that are not only underrepresented but that they also have a connection to. While each utilized a different medium, it became clear that there was a collective goal of preservation and projection in echoing their lineages and influences.

Suárez’s figures appear otherworldly, as they are fluid and enveloped by shadow. In Conduit (2024), it seems as if an individual is crouched on their knees, reaching towards the heavens, while grasping a star with volcanoes erupting around them. Volcanoes hold symbolic importance in Mexican origin stories, as being forces of destruction and renewal, adding to the perception of the supernatural in Suárez’s piece. To shelter what is precious, to yield what is valuable, and to dispose of what is harmful (2024) recalls Botticelli’s Primavera–also a work developed from mythology–with the particular horizontal placement of several active, reaching figures. Here, it is as if they are all astral bodies, gathering and hiding sacred objects and orbs. Once again, we see a hand clutching a fiery, star-like item. Suárez’s approach to amalgamation allows him to make the woodcut into another sort of medium altogether and render both the visible, tangible realm, as well as the one unseen.

Directly next to Suárez’s pieces are Braxton Garneau’s portraits, which reflect his exploration of the history of his Caribbean background, with particular focus on costuming and what is seen versus what is hidden. They are collages that evoke medieval ceremonial panels, and through a careful choice of layering asphalt onto the canvas, Garneau, at times, has chosen to bring forth facial features and expressions, while other times blurring them. He adorns them with goat hide, cloth, crushed shells, and other objects of material culture, which add tactility and theatricality to his work. Dame Lorraine (2023) presents a Carnival character whose face is quite obscured, and the positioning, hand placement, and abstracted dress collar lead up to a large mask of lace. Though not explicitly defined, the grandeur and power is certainly felt and understood. This is true of his Masquerade pieces as well—a push/pull between what is hidden and exposed, all revealing a skillful use of materials to create striking portraits which pose questions about colonialism and the Self in relation to specific moments and materials.

Swapnaa Tamhane, meanwhile, brings forth under-recognized, oftentimes unnamed, artists from India, who sculpted sacred feminine and goddess figures. Because Tamhane works using pencil on board, her figures have a softness in their detailing while still very clearly calling to mind ancient sculptures. Her choice to use gray tones further signifies their stone-like, almost fundamental architectural qualities. A slight departure from the more typical adaptation of the goddess figure, Tamhane utilizes these female forms as backdrops to be able to reveal personally intimate moments, as some are juxtaposed with written out text messages between her and a former lover. Her work is poignant and reflects an important exercise of reclaiming and reconstituting the archival.

Another interplay between dominant and delicate are Dominique Sirois’ sculptures, in which she uses clay to create abstract portraits that appear Cubist, sometimes even Constructivist, while also referencing Kishangarh paintings in her treatment of facial features. The Figure of Hemisphere works are assertive in their structure, and her exquisite manipulation of braids, which boldly wind down the abstracted head and neck, maintains a softer tonality, and their lustrousness is echoed by the oxydes visible on the face. Sirois’ Fire Flower pieces have a pliant quality in the form of the stems and petals, but her handling of stoneware and once again, oxidation imbue them with a toughness, a lasting strength.

Two of the artists in the exhibit, Sukaina Kubba and Marigold Santos, both find inspiration in fabrics, and they utilize this long-standing craft to make new statements. Marigold Santos’ terno armour works (2024) reference traditional Philippine decorative garments for women, in this case, the shoulders of this type of garment, and she chose to create them using locally-sourced cotton. They are also embroidered with abstracted snake-like figures and plants, local to the area, and whose movement is almost peaceful on the surface of the fabric. Sukaina Kubba has several works on view as well, one being Afterfeather 1 (2024), which is a large-scale 3D printed Persian rug. It’s very intricate and being both a 3D print and monochromatic emphasizes Kubba’s interest in the original materiality of the rugs and how she can manipulate them with contemporary materials. Her smaller works, in which she utilizes polyester-like fibers, reference Persian rugs as well and represent landscape, flora, and fauna. Her use of color and the modeling of the figures allow these smaller pieces to appear like fragments from a larger rug, as well as tell stories on their own.

While aesthetically dissimilar, each of the artists in this exhibit is reliant on and motivated by their diverse cultural, art historical, and personal histories, and they push the bounds of their chosen mediums into new territories to skillfully encompass the breadth of their inspirations.

Summoning the Ineffable is on view at Patel Brown in Montreal through April 12, 2025.

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