Devotio Moderna - Perspectives on the Sacred

An exhibition of modern, religious works by artists Galina

Oussatcheva and Farhad Nargol-O’Neill. Their collective
works explore the genre of devotional art in both the Rus-
sian Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions - mixing an
adherence to both traditional practices of art making and
devotion, with a visual approach aimed at exploring and il-
luminating concepts such as inverse perspective, covenant,
and the personal within the canonical tradition.

The two artists originally met when they were both mem-
bers of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. Their mutual
interest in and artistic practices which focused on devo-
tional art formed a solid basis of understanding, and discus-
sions about a joint exhibition began in early 2009. Soon,
Father Gilles Mongeau S.J., Professor at Regis College,
University of Toronto came into the picture. Fr. Gilles has
a keen interest in both traditional and new forms of devo-
tional artistic expression, and was immediately supportive.
After some exciting discussions with Fr. Gilles, the idea of
a joint exhibition of modern devotional art works melded
with the opening of the New Regis College building on
Wellesley Street West in Toronto.

The synergy between the two artists and the College has
resulted in this exhibition called Devotio Moderna which
will officially open on March 17 at the newly built College
Atrium!

Artist Galina Oussatcheva is a noted Russian iconographer and exciting photo-based and graphics artist. Trained
in Moscow, she now resides in Toronto where she works and exhibits. Her photographic shoots take her yearly to
Iceland, Finland and the Netherlands. Her dedication to the tradition of Byzantine iconography is apparent in her
artistic practice, and is complimented by contemporary forms of expressing the concept of Inverse Perspective and
the culture of the Russian Orthodox tradition generally. Her practice blends a fascinating mix of traditional forms of
art making and cutting edge photographic technique. Ms. Oussatcheva will be showing Icons, photo-based work,
and an installation. She is also responsible for designing the promotional materials for the show.

Artist Farhad Nargol-O’Neill is an internationally acclaimed artist who has been commissioned to create public
works of art in Ireland, Germany, Jordan, Tunisia, Cyprus, Canada, and Barbados to name a few countries. He has
exhibited widely, and his works belong in private and public collections in many countries. He has been commis-
sioned by community and public bodies, diplomatic agencies, and has received royal commissions. His sculptures
for EXPO 2000 garnered him a special commendation by the Queen of Jordan, and his 2007 sculpture: “Corpus et
Spiritus” has been given major recognition. His work has been the subject of numerous articles in the printed and
electronic press, as well as the subject of film shorts in many countries. Mr. Nargol-O’Neill will be presenting his
new Stations of the Cross which mix mnemonic principals and abstraction as aids to devotion.

The Exhibit opens Wednesday, March 17 and runs until May 17, 2010. Regis College, University of Toronto
Select works will remain on display between May 17 and May 31. 100 Wellesley Street West
Opening reception is on March 17, 5:00 pm - 8: 00 pm. Toronto, ON
Inquaries: Fr. Gilles Mongeau via email at: gil.mongeau@utoronto.ca