Diaz Contemporary is pleased to present new work by Flavio Trevisan. In this show, Trevisan demonstrates his ongoing engagement with maps as a visual code and sculptural medium. His understanding of space and structure, arising as a result of his complex relationship with architectural practice, causes him to see the process of translating maps into sculpture as a way to appreciate the internal logic and progressive accumulation of our urban and suburban environment. The isolation of streets, the main tool with which we navigate and conceive of our environment, enables new patterns and narratives to become visible.
This ongoing series of mapping exercises is a vehicle for the exploration into the limits of two-dimensional sculpture. Unlike conventional maps, which are drawn onto flat surfaces, these objects are sculpted as part of the datum, incorporating the page into the work. The structure of the city and the structure of the page itself become synonymous with the map or landscape being conveyed. Whether built up or stripped away, the final map has emerged from a process that conveys the meaning that would otherwise be represented by the symbols in a cartographer’s toolkit.
The maps here encompass fragments of Toronto. Seeing the patterns of streets any Torontonian could start to recognize the intricate systems that are part of everyday life. Even with no titles, names or locations, these maps can be deciphered, intersections recalled, and experiences remembered. They are not just descriptions of our environment, but storehouses for unlocking the memory of place.
Flavio Trevisan is based in Toronto and was educated at the University of Toronto School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Prior to pursuing an art career he worked on numerous buildings in Toronto, including the Harbourfront Fire Station and the Schulich School of Business at York University. Recent solo shows include Grey Area, Convenience Gallery, Toronto; Accumulations, Art Mûr, Montréal; and Folded Landscapes-Unfolding Maps with Gwen MacGregor, Akau Gallery, Toronto.
 
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