Danny Hussey says the idea for his exhibit, Signs of Language, struck him three years ago while watching The Simpsons on DVD with his then-five-year-old daughter, Carson.
When the image suddenly froze and fractured into pixels, Hussey says he began thinking of the inherent flaws in technology.
Carson, who suffers from a disability that prevents her from talking, also noticed the technical glitch and touched the screen.
The striking parallels between the problems of damaged technology and Carson’s struggles led Hussey to recognize the difficulties of communication in an ever-changing world, he says.
Signs of Language opened Feb. 6 at City Hall Art Gallery.
“With this series, I hope [visitors] will realize there are so many different ways of communicating other than with the verbal language we all use,” Hussey says.
“[The exhibit] is also a way of elevating all the little objects we take for granted everyday by putting them on a pedestal,” he says.
Painted images of a light bulb, nail clippers, a zipper, and a hairbrush are a few of the commonplace items Hussey included in his pieces.
In his opinion, only the image remains constant, despite its form.
Jeff Stellick, executive director of the Ottawa School of Art, says he has seen a “nice evolution” from Hussey’s previous works in an exhibition held at the school seven years ago.
The exhibit has five components: eight paintings, a grid of 40 individual prints, a large block print, a grid of 40 screen prints on video stills, and a short video loop.
In a white-walled gallery adorned with black and white prints, the colourful paintings stand out.
Each one is composed of 40 block prints, forming a collage of symbols and daily items on a fragmented backdrop of The Simpsons. There is also a white outline of the specific sign language symbol in the centre that corresponds with the title.
“It’s the type of thing where you initially see the overall image and eventually get drawn into all these little paintings that are going on within them,” he says.
Hussey says he prefers planning and constructing the paintings simultaneously to ensure they will relate to each other in the context of a show.
“I’m not so much a person who makes a painting, I make a series,” he says.
Signs of Language took the Nova Scotia native until late 2008 to complete, and is Hussey’s sixth solo Ottawa exhibition.
Born in Middleton, N.S., Hussey moved to Ottawa approximately 10 years ago.
Hussey says what makes him unique as an artist is painting, drawing and print objects most people would not consider fine art subjects.
“If I cast it aside, that’s when I say, ‘Well okay, I have to draw that now because I’ve decided it’s not worthy,’” Hussey says.
“I love the simplicity of his images,” says Michelle Albert, who visited the gallery. “I find the pieces are very strong and powerful.”
Signs of Language is on display at City Hall Art Gallery until March 22.