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| Juan Geuer | 1917 - 2009 Sculptor, draughtsman, inventor and writer Juan Geuer (pronounced "goy-er") is an utterly fascinating guy and is, quite frankly, one of my heroes. Geuer was born in Holland in1917 (which makes him now a youthful and vital 86 years old!). He and his family fled Nazi Europe in 1939, journeying to Bolivia where, deep in the jungle, the young Geuer continued the family business of stained glass making and, as the eldest son of eight children, helped to raise his siblings. In 1954 he emigrated to Canada and talked his way into a job at the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa where he remained until 1979, designing both precision instruments for research and designing exhibitions. In 1973, Geuer founded his Truth Seeker Company as an umbrella under which he could continue his researches and his artmaking. In this small but exquisite exhibition at Peak Gallery, Geuer is showing nine exceedingly handsome graphic works made this year and last, the overall title of which The Truth About Cartesian Clarity. A studied look at the works will suggest to you that the truth about Cartesian clarity is that it's not all that clear. The first thing you notice, when you look at these whitely radiant, silvery fields of Mylar (they look like white sheets of paper but they aren't), is that Geuer has apparently scored grid-like lines on them, a kind of mapping gesture. Then, if you look more closely, you'll see that the lines are not drawn on the Mylar surfaces but are, rather, scored into the Mylar from behind.! Light flows through them. The tricky part is that to make these transcendentally beautiful lines, Geuer had to score some of the Mylar away, but not all of it. The pressure of the hand becomes crucial. And tact is everything. And if you continue to look closely at these supposed grids, you see that the interstices - where lines cross - have become a terrible muddle of indecision and geometric evasion. Cartesian clarity compromised. Mere chaos loosed exquisitely upon the world. Michael Dault Globe and Mail 2003 Gary |
| exhibitions
03 the truth about cartesian clarity Peak Gallery, Toronto
| review 01 Montreal Highlights Festival, Curated by Jean Gagnon for the Museum of Fine
Arts in Montreal, inspired by Glenn Gould's 'Idea of North'. 00 Dalhousie Art Gallery, Halifax NS WiS (Water in Suspense) part of group exhibition 'Engaging the Virtual', curated by Doug Porter. Catalogue text by Doug Porter and the artists 99 Art Gallery of Ontario Toronto "WiS (Water in Suspense)" Solo show, Brochure
text Christina Ritchie, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. 98 Axe Neo-7, Hull Quebec group show " La cle de l'univers" Catalogue text by
Jean Yves Vigneau and the artist (Viagra, red roses or the naked moment) 97 Amos Quebec, "Conference" (Three Solar Reflectors on a model Esker.)
Permanent installation on occasion of the Third Symposium of the Visual Arts .
Catalogue text: Alain-Martin Richard ; Guy Sioui Durand ; Jean Dumont ;
Marianne Trudel and an assay by the artist : ' Art and Amos a Democratic
Event.' 96 Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, Montreal Quebec "The Hellot Glasses",
"The Loom Drum", "l'Etre et le Neant" and "Rock Heist". Solo Show: Pamphlet
text "Interrogating Self and Other: The Perceptual Instruments of Juan Geuer"
by James D. Campbell. 95 Obscure , Medusa , Quebec City "The Loom Drum" , "Eye I Eye" , "Surface Back in Time","The Lord is Cunning" , "Curve in Space and Time" , "Baudrillard's Boudoir" solo show, Quebec Canada . Video Catalogue by Boris Friquet, and Pamphlet. 94 Haut 3 Imperiel, Granby Quebec, Canada . "Siege Perspective" at L'art et
l'eau recontre continental, Curator, Domingo Cisnero, Video Catalogue text by
Danyele Alain, Sonia Pelletier & Jaqueline Bouchard. 93 The Ottawa Art Gallery Investigating Chaos; "Al Asnaam" , "The Loom Drum" ,
"Siglo Veinte" , "The Lord is Cunning" , "Surface back in Time" , "l'Etre et le
Neant" , "Curve in Space and Time" Solo show. Curated by Jean- FranÐois Renaud.
Catalogue text; Jean-FranÐois Renaud , Dana Friis - Hansen , Mayo Graham , Nell
Tenhaaf and the artist. Published by the Gallery. 91 Thunder Bay Art Gallery Thunder Bay Ontario "The Loom Drum" solo show 90 National Gallery of Canada Ottawa " Karonhia". Installed as Work in situ in
the Rotunda. Later purchased by the National Gallery. Curated by Janice Seline. 89 Adelphi University Art Gallery Garden City New York U S A "Paradigm","You"
"l'Etre et le Neant", "Feu Rouge", and polarized light works. Solo show curated
by David Hupert, related to the symposium 'Exploring Natural Phenomena'.
Brochure text K. C. Cole 88 Tom Thomson Gallery Owen Sound , Ontario. "Stop sign Icons", solo show
87 P. S. A. Gallery Saskatoon Saskatchewan "Shield Patterns" A People
Participating Seismometer, solo show 85 Museum Boymans van Beuningen , Rotterdam The Netherlands. Solo retrospective.
"Al Asnaam","Licht Fuiken", "Hollands Grijs", "Rotating Framing Device" and the
"Space-Time Series". Catalogue text Cor Blok (translated by Cor Blok into
English, available from the artist) 84 Centre Culturel Canadien , Paris France. Solo show "Al Asnaam", Brochure text
; by Willard Holmes. 83 Musee d'Art Contemporain de Montreal , Solo show. "Al Asnaam". Brochure text
Arlette Blanchet. 82 Art Gallery of Hamilton , Hamilton Ont. Solo show: Installations : "The
unknown of Space and Time" and "The Light in the Sculpture Court" Brochure text
by the artist. 81 University of Western Ontario , London Ont. At a Conference of the
International Association of Seismologists and Physicists of the Earth's
Interior. "Al Asnaam" A people participating Seismometer (solo) 80 SAW Gallery , Ottawa Ont. "Xray Installation" ( solo) 79 University of Western Ontario , London Ont.. Solo installation : Fascination
Feast "The Space-Time Series". "The Moon Massages the Earth", "The Fault-Plane
Solution Calculator" (The use of the latter sculpture, as scientific
instrument, was demonstrated in the Gallery . Black Board and data information
were part of the show.) Catalogue text by David Burnett and the artist. Curated
by Arlene Kennedy. 78 Gallery 76 , Toronto Ont. "The Unknown as Function of Space and Time" (Solo) 77 Algonquin College Gallery , Ottawa Ont. "Inquisition into Space", Solo. Installation. 76 International Congress of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Helsinki ,Finland "Conical Field". ( solo ) 75 Agnes Etherington Art Centre , Kingston Ont. Group Show Drawings '75'. Curated and Catalogue text by Tony Urquhart. "Cartographic Grid" (Negative engraving.) 74 Survey Exhibition # 1 Ottawa Ontario., Group Show organized by Gerald Trotier
and others. Painting decoupage : "Au Centre de la Carte", Catalogue text. 73 Three Almonte Artists, Almonte Ont. Home exhibitions. 72 Town Hall, Almonte Ont. Second Lanark County Art Show 71 Town Hall , Almonte Ont. First Lanark County Art Show 69 National Art Center , Ottawa Ont Hexagon Group."Stop sign Icons" 67 Wells Gallery , Ottawa Ont. " Paintings and Inquisitives" ( solo ) |
| video works
00 "Is Truth a Road Sign with Built-in Obsolescence". 1 h. loop of 10 Ÿ min.
cycles 99 "Entropy - Extropy" Two parts, 4 minutes each. 98 "The Ideo Id of the Truth Seeker Company". 45 minutes 87 "Siglo Veinte", Installation with miners hut. Continuous loop. 68 - 81 As a result of my work and research in a Geophysical Institute I invented and produced systems and apparatus to visualize the latest discoveries of Plate Tectonics and other geophysical events. Resulting displays were made for the Earth Physics Branch of the Dep. of E M R. They have been shown in about 20 places across Canada, in Paris and in Moscow. Recognizing the inherent uncertainties and limits of systematic scientific knowledge. I was trying to make visible in these displays some of the original ecstasy of the moment of discovery. I considered this work as an 'undercover art form' and it became seminal for my art produced at that time and after my retirement in 1981. |
| speaking engagements & teaching
00 Computer Science Department of Dalhousie University, Lecture: Power, Sweat and Joy of the Real World, in connection with the Exhibition 'Engaging the Virtual. 99 Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto; lecture 'Art, science and the
future. 98 International Summer Seminar on Art, Two-week engagement as professor and animator by the University of Reykjavik Iceland. 97 3th Symposium on the Visual Arts Amos Quebec. 96 University of Auckland New Zealand, Lecture. 95 Artist Center Obscure, Conference 94 & 1992 University of Media Arts, Cologne Germany; Lectures 93 Ottawa University, Fine Arts Department; Lecture 92 Technical University Delft, the Netherlands; At its 150 anniversary ; paper on culture and Technology 91 - 90 National Gallery of Canada; artist talks. 90 University of Toronto, McLuhan Institute; lecture 89 Jan van Eyck Akademie, Maastricht the Netherlands; lectures. A three day
assignment. 86 Massechusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Mass, U S A; lecture & panel. 85 Mount Allison University, Sackville N. B. Artist talk 85 Erasmus University, Rotterdam the Netherlands; panel about my work at the Museum Boymans van Beuningen 83 Trent University Peterborough On ; artist talk. 82 Musee d'art contemporain, Montreal Que. artist talk. 80 SAW Gallery Ottawa ; artist talk. 79 University of Western Ontario, McIntosh Gallery; panel about work in
exhibition. 73 - 74 Algonquin College Perth Ontario; Art Instructor, part time. 72 - 73 - '81 Dep. Energy, Mines and Recourses, Earth Physics branch ; lectures. 70 - 71 - 72, Carleton University, Ottawa, 4 semesters studio instructor ( part time ) 68 - 70, Municipal Art Center, Ottawa Ont. ; Instructor 2 seasons. |
| collections
Agnes Ethrington Art Center, Kingston Ontario. |
| publications about geuer's work
Porter, Doug "Engaging the Virtual" Catalogue text re. exhibit at the Dalhousie
Art,March - April 2000, illus. |
| publication by geuer
00 WiS, Published in Catalogue 'Engaging the Virtual' Dalhousie Art Gallery. 99 Viagra, red roses or the naked moment ? Published by Axe Neo - 7 art contemporain , Hull Quebec 98 The Seismometer Al Asnaam. How it came about. Published by the Ottawa Art
Gallery. 95 Eye Growing. One chapter in Sculpting with the Environment pp 92 - 99, Edited by Baile Oakes, Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 0-442-01642-5 94 Nobuo Kubota- Brenda Joy Lem, a review. Parachute 73 Spring '94 93 Curator Statements Visual Language , Sylvia Safdie and Annebet Zwartsenberg Saw Gallery Ottawa, April / May 1993. 90 Catalogue text for Exhibition Paul van den Nieuwenhof, Het Apollohuis,
Eindhoven The Netherlands 82 The Truth Seeker Company, Music works (The Music Gallery Toronto Canada) # 21. 81 Geuer, Juan & Hasegawa, Henry A Model for P - Wave Nodal Solutions, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. Vol 18, # 1. 79 Geuer, Juan & Burnett, David, Fascination Feast Constructions, Catalogue, MacIntosh Gallery , University of Western Ontario. 79 Buff , R & Juan Geuer The unknown as Function of Space and Time , Slap News, St. Lawrence College, Kingston Ontario. 74 Irving - Sweeney - Geuer, Evolution of the Arctic Basin, The Arctic Geophysical Review, Vol 45, # 4. 74 Art Education in Canada, Art Magazin, Vol. 5, # 17 73 The Terrascope, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. Vol. 10, # 7 67 Valliant, H.D. , J.W. Geuer, I.R. Grant "A Temperature control system for the Canadian Pendulum Apparatus", IEEE Transactions on Geoscience Electronics. Vol. GE-5, # 3, pp. 84-89 64 Innes - Pearson - Geuer The Deep Bay Crater, Dominion Observatory, Government of Canada , Vol XXI, # 2 |
| videos about geuer's work
"The Unknown as Function of Space and Time", an Interview by Jeff Hemmings, 1979 |
| other activities
89 Haarlem Holland, Expert Meeting " Art, Technology and Media Development " commissioned by the Dutch Government's Ministerie W. V. C. (Dep. of Education and Culture) The report was published by the 'Stichting Media Art Development' November 1989 80 Meeting about the 'Arms Length' principle as applicable also to the research science community held at the Canada Council chaired by Edythe Goodridge, head of the visual Arts Section. Both scientists and artists were invited. 74 Town hall Almonte On. Organized and researched, together with local people an Exhibition called " Creative Characters and Complicated Artists ", presenting non traditional 'artistic' objects and ideas produced by people created in relation to their daily life's or profession, and also the works of some artists we had invited for this occasion. A small catalogue was produced mainly written by the participants. |
| awards_grants_bursaries
00 Daniel Langlois Foundation Bursary for Video production. 98 Travel Grant, The Canada Council 97 Individual Arts Grant, Ontario Arts Council. 96 Travel and asistence for Auckland Art Gallery Exhibition. Dep. of Foreign Affairs 95 Individual Arts Grant, Ontario Arts Council 94 Travel Grant , The Canada Council 93 Individual Arts Grant, Ontario Arts Council 87 Integrated Media Program Award, The Canada Council 86 Media Arts Grant, The Canada Council 84 Project Grant, The Canada Council 83 "A" Grant and Travel Grant, The Canada Council 82 Material assistance Grant, The Ontario Arts Council. 78 "A" Grant, The Canada Council. |
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