Left: Cowgirl, 2022, oil on cut canvas, 49”x68”x2”
Image credit: Rachel Topham Photography
Right: Snaked, 2022, oil on canvas, 67"x70"
Left: Cradle (No.2) 2022, oil on cut canvas, approximately 30”x36”x24”
Left: Father Figures, 2021, oil on canvas, 84” x 72”
Image credit: Rachel Topham Photography
Left: Listing, 2021, oil on canvas, 84” x 72”
Right: Cat’s Eye, 2021, oil on canvas, 58” x 72”
Image credit: Rachel Topham Photography
Left: Model For Budding, 2018, oil on canvas, grommets, approximately 120”x56”
Right: Bone Breath, 2018, oil on canvas, grommets, approximately 132” x 62”
(Centre: Work by Gabriella Godoi)
268 Taché Hall
University of Manitoba
(Fort Garry Campus)
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2M6
W. mesparks.com
Education
- BFA NSCAD University
- MFA Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Creative work & Research
M.E. Sparks works primarily with paint and canvas to investigate ambiguities of representation, historical narratives and familiarized ways of looking. Through a practice of pulling apart and recombining borrowed forms, both art historical and autobiographical, she is interested in the moment an image loses its representational solidity. While figurative traces often remain within her paintings, Sparks explores how and when a form dislocates from its origins and resists singular classification. Recently, this dislocation occurs through the cutting, draping and layering of painted canvas cutouts. This work plays with the experience of not knowing, of not being able to pin down and define, and of the vulnerability and transformative potential that arise when we are not quite able to name what we see.
In recent work, Sparks confronts the historically burdened form of the female figure. By culling shape, colour and pattern from mid-twentieth century depictions of femininity, she digs into the complex tension of working from and within patriarchal perspectives. The work addresses ideas of uncertainty and unsettled spaces of representation, as well as reconciliation and transformation of historical narrative.
M.E. Sparks holds an MFA from Emily Carr University and BFA from NSCAD University. Recent exhibitions include “and a Rag in the Other” at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art (Kelowna), “We can only hint at this with words” at the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art (North Vancouver), and “A Fine Line” at Trapp Projects (Vancouver). Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Canada, including at Access Gallery (Vancouver), Franc Gallery (Vancouver), Monica Reyes Gallery (Vancouver), Support (London ON), Ou Gallery (Duncan), Fifty Fifty Arts Collective (Victoria), South Main Gallery, (Vancouver), SiteFactory (Vancouver), Dynamo Arts Association (Vancouver). Sparks was a finalist in the 2016 and 2017 RBC Painting Competitions and is a recipient of awards and project grants, including the Nancy Petry Award and research funding from Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, and Arts Nova Scotia. She has participated in artist residencies in Canada, Germany and Finland. Sparks currently teaches at the University of Manitoba School of Art.
Left: Tangled, 2022, oil and acrylic on canvas, 63"x63"x2"
Centre: Rose Offering, 2022, oil and acrylic on canvas and cotton sheet, 61”x68”x2”
Left: Portrait of a Young Girl, 2022, oil and acrylic on canvas and cotton sheet, 69"x65"x2"
Right: Mirror-Like, 2022, oil and acrylic on canvas and cotton sheet, 65”x58”x2”
Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2022 - and a Rag in the Other, Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, Kelowna, BC (solo)
2021 - A Fine Line, Trapp Projects, Vancouver, BC (two-person)
2019 - Hiatus, The Ou Gallery, Duncan, BC (solo)
2019 - Pleated Fingers Parted, The Fifty Fifty Arts Collective, Victoria, BC (solo)
2018 - near channels, Support, London, ON (two-person, organized by Graham Macaulay)
2018 - Inside Out, SiteFactory, Vancouver, BC (two-person, organized by Leah Weinstein)
2018 - Mother Tongue, Dynamo Arts Association, Vancouver, BC (two-person)
2016 - Still Here, Point Gallery, Salt Spring Island, BC (solo)
2015 - LINEUP, Helen For Now Gallery, ECUAD, Vancouver, BC (two-person)
2015 - Drift, First Floor Gallery, Barrie, ON (two-person)
2014 - Image Search, Corridor Gallery, VANS, Halifax, NS (solo)
2014 - From There to Here, Eventide Art Gallery, New Glasgow, NS (solo)
2014 - Still Life, Anna Leonowens Gallery, NSCAD, Halifax, NS (solo)
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 - We can only hint at this with words., Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art, North Vancouver, BC (curated by Kate Henderson)
2019 - 13suite15, 2244 East Hastings, Vancouver, BC
2019 - Road Trip, Monica Reyes Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2019 - some body, anybody, SOMA Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2017 - A Terrible Signal, Access Gallery, Vancouver, BC (curated by Kimberly Phillips)
2017 - 19th Annual RBC Painting Competition, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON
2017 - Dear Home, GlogauAIR, Berlin, Germany
2017 - Shape Form Colour Line, Elissa Cristall Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2016 - A Beast Salient, Franc Gallery, Vancouver, BC (curated by Brynn McNab)
2016 - 18th Annual RBC Painting Competition, The Power Plant, Toronto, ON
2016 - Endless Summer, Elissa Cristall Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2016 - Fresh Paint / New Construction, Art Mûr, Montreal, QC
2016 - see level, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2016 - Still Here, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Concourse Gallery, ECUAD, Vancouver, BC
2015 - Salt Spring National Art Prize Exhibition, Mahon Hall, Salt Spring Island, BC
2015 - Flight Lines, Concourse Gallery, ECUAD, Vancouver, BC
2014 - By and By, Port Loggia Gallery, Halifax, NS
2014 - Redux, The Craig Gallery, Dartmouth, NS (curated by Teto Elsiddique)
2013 - Emerging NSCAD Artists, NSP Headquarters: Studio 21 Fine Art, Halifax, NS
Awards & Research Funding
2023 - Winnipeg Arts Council: Individual Project Grant
2022 - Winnipeg Arts Council: Professional Development Travel Grant
2021 - BC Arts Council: Project Assistance Grant
2020 - Canada Council for the Arts: Research and Creation Grant
2020 - Canada Council for the Arts: Arts Abroad Residencies Grant
2019 - Salt Spring National Art Prize: Finalist
2018 - Canada Council for the Arts: Research and Creation Grant
2018 - BC Arts Council: Project Assistance Grant
2017 - 19th Annual RBC Painting Competition: Finalist
2016 - 18th Annual RBC Painting Competition: Finalist
2016 - Nancy Petry Foundation Award: Royal Canadian Academy of Arts & Joseph Plaskett Foundation
2016 - Valedictorian, Master of Fine Arts, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
2015 - Salt Spring National Art Prize: Juror’s Choice Award
2015 - BC Arts Council Scholarship
2014 - Gordon and Marion Smith Painting Scholarship, Emily Carr University
2013 - Nova Scotia Talent Trust Scholarship
2013 - Arts Nova Scotia Creation Grant
2012 - Robert Pope Foundation Painting Scholarship, NSCAD University
Public Talks & Panels
2024 - Wrestling with Static, Panelist, Ace Art Inc., Winnipeg MB
2022 - "Hard Edge, Soft Body: On the Paintings of Christina Senkiw", Lecture, Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, MB
2022 - We can only hint at this with words, Online Panelist, Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art
2022 - Conversations in Contemporary Art (CiCA), Online Panelist, Concordia University
2020 - Emily Carr University, MFA Program, Visiting Speaker + MFA Studio Visits, Vancouver BC
2020 - NSCAD University, Media Toolbox Course, Artist Talk with Matthis Grunsky, Halifax NS
2019 - Simon Fraser University, MFA Program, Visiting Speaker + Studio Visits, Vancouver BC
2018 - some body, anybody, Panelist, SOMA Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2018 - University of the Fraser Valley, Artist Talk, Abbotsford, BC
2018 - Overly Dedicated: Artist Podcast hosted and produced by Claire Scherzinger
2018 - AFK Paradise Valley Summer School, Artist Talk, Squamish, BC
2017 - A Crimp in the Fabric: Situating Painting Today, Panelist, Simon Fraser University
2017 - Emily Carr University, Alumni Presentations, Vancouver BC
2016 - see level, Panelist, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver BC
Residencies & Mentorships
2023 - MAWA Focused Mentorship, “Painting & The Studio”, Lead Mentor, Winnipeg MB
2017 - GlogauAIR, Artist in Residence, Berlin, Germany
2017 - Arteles Creative Residency: Silence Awareness Existence, Artist in Residence, Finland
2017 - Institut für Alles Mögliche, Artist in Residence, Berlin, Germany
2013 - NSCAD Studio Residency, New Glasgow, NS, Canada
Writing & Contributions to Publications
2024 - “Blanket Charades (Thoughts on Taking Shape)”, exhibition text for Wrestling with Static, Ace Art Inc., Winnipeg, MB
2022 - in_your_painting, zine publication, Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, Kelowna, BC
2022 - We can only hint at this with words., exhibition publication, Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art, North Vancouver, BC
2019 - Paperwait, Volume 21, Ace Art Inc., Winnipeg, MB
2018 - Materials, Volume 4, July 2018, Support, London, ON
2018 - “Surfacing: Looking at the Paintings of Ben Reeves”, exhibition catalogue essay for Floating Among Phantoms, Art Gallery at Evergreen, Coquitlam, BC
Interviews & Press
2024 - Lindsay Inglis, “Cutting Through Dominant Histories: In Conversation with M.E. Sparks”, Interview for Public Parking, online journal, April 2024
2024 - Canthius: Feminism and Literary Arts, Artist Feature and Interview, Issue 13, Ottawa, ON
2022 - Jayne Wilkinson, “Surface Tensions: On Works by Russna Kaur and M.E. Sparks”, essay included in exhibition publication for We can only hint at this with words., Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art
2022 - Katherine Pickering, and a Rag in the Other // An Interview with M.E. Sparks, Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art
2018 - Kevin Griffin, “ART SEEN: Art installation in a school bus…”, Vancouver Sun, June 2018
2018 - Joe O’Brien, “Inside Out”, Exhibition Text, SiteFactory
2018 - Angela Glanzmann, “Mother Tongue”, Exhibition Text, Dynamo Arts Association
2017 - Kimberly Phillips, “A Terrible Signal”, Curatorial Essay, Access Gallery
2017 - RBC Painting Competition Catalogue, Canadian Art, September 2017
2017 - “15 Artists Named Finalists in RBC Painting Competition”, Canadian Art, September 2017
2017 - Lucien Durey,“Vancouver Report: From Black and White to Coloured Lights”, Canadian Art
2016 - RBC Painting Competition Catalogue, Canadian Art, September 2016
2015 - SSNAP Finalist Exhibition Catalogue, Art Barn International, October 2015