Ordinary Men | Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
22 June - 2 September, 2019
Toronto, Canada
Ordinary Men marks Thomas J Price’s first solo exhibition in Canada. Since 2005, Price has focused on creating what he terms ‘psychological portraits’ in sculpture. Ranging in size from small busts to monumental bronze statues, these sculptures depict the bodies, clothing and characteristics typically associated with black men. However, these works are not representations of actual people. Instead, they combine facial expressions drawn from ancient, classical and neo-classical sculpture, stereotypes represented in contemporary news media, and observed individuals—some of whom Price knows personally, others whom he has witnessed in public spaces.
The exhibition at The Power Plant features a series of sculptures in varying sizes. Inside the gallery, a newly commissioned work is presented alongside several smaller bronzes and photographs that challenge the erasure of black bodies within the traditions of classical sculpture. Outside in Canada Square sits Price’s Numen series, 2016, a continuation of the artist’s investigation into Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology. To the west, on the South Terrace, a monumental cast-bronze titled Cover Up (The Reveal), 2019 is presented. These four works extend the exhibition’s reach into the public sphere, thus engaging visitors both inside and outside of the gallery and confronting us with images of black male bodies on a monumental scale.
Watch an introduction with the artist to Price's first international institution solo show, Ordinary Men, 2019, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada
“Price’s critique of a cultural hierarchy that devalues modern materials over traditional ones parallels a socio-political system that privileges some individuals over others. Who is remembered and who is forgotten or, worse, violently excised from the record?”