Christian Bernard Singer

Bio

          Canadian artist, educator, curator, and art dealer, Christian Bernard Singer was born in 1962 in Paris into a family of artists. He was raised in New York City where he began as a company dancer with Laura Foreman's Composers and Choreographers Theater, performing in Spaces and Foreman's seminal work, Signals II. These were performed over several years in such venues as Judson Memorial Church, the Cubiculo Theater, and The New School, until the work was eventually presented at the Museum of Modern Art.

          Moving from performance and choreography to costume design, he eventually headed the costume department for the Kawartha Festival Theatre in 1985 where he designed and produced over 100 costumes for 8 plays. He returned to school for formal training, spending a year at l'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris (under Anne Rochette) and graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design. This was followed by a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

          Singer has managed grant application programs for both The Canada Council and the Ministry of Culture and Communications (Ontario), was Director of the 2005 Contemporary Art Forum - Kitchener and Area (CAFKA), Curator and Associate Director of Lehmann Leskiw Fine Art until he co-founded Rouge Concept Gallery where he remained as Curator until 2009, bringing Judy Chicago: A Survey of Important Works (curated by Virginia Eichhorn) - the first large-scale survey exhibition for Chicago in Canada. In addition to serving as board member to several arts organizations, Singer is Curator of the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, consults to artists and organizations, and continues to teach at both the Ontario College of Art and Design and the Toronto School of Art.

          In his own work, Singer is best known for incorporating living plant life, glass, clay, bronze, found objects, and video into installation-environments and land art works that turn on notions of place, memory and time passing. Since 1997, his work has been shown in commercial galleries in Canada, the U.S., and France, and since 2004, he has been included numerous museum and land art invitational exhibitions including: Summerfires (2009), Galerie Lausberg, Toronto; Aligning with Beauty (2009), Varley Art Gallery; Pass the Buddha with Julie Oakes (2008), Galerie Samuel Lallouz, Montreal; Cabinets of Curiosities (2008) and Tessellated Anamnesis: Patterns for Unforgetting (2005), Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery (Waterloo); Revivified (2008), Headbones Gallery, Toronto; Mobile Structures: Dialogues between Ceramics and Architecture in Canadian Art, (2007-08), MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina which also toured to the Surrey Art Gallery (B.C.); The Edward Day Gallery's Kiwi Sculpture Garden Project in Perth (2006-09); The Shore/Lines Project: Responding to Place (2005) at the MacLaren Art Centre; and Second Nature at the Fish Tank Gallery in New York City (2004). His work is represented in Toronto by Headbones Gallery.

Solo Exhibitions

2008

Cabinets of Curiosities (Memory/Meaning/Milieu) The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, ON

2005

Tessellated Anamnesis - Patterns for Unforgetting: Christian Bernard Singer
The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, ON

2003

Recent Sculptures and Paintings , Upstairs Gallery, This Ain't The Rosedale Library, Toronto

Chronicles of Being (MFA Thesis Exhibition), Fosdick-Nelson Gallery at Art Site, Wellsville, NY

Sarabande/Contre Pointe (collaboration with Linda Sormin), Robert Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY

2002

Initiation/Spring , Robert Turner Gallery, Alfred University, Alfred, NY

2000

The Hidden Phallus , Art System Gallery, Toronto

Selected Group Exhibitions

2009

Contemporary Sculpture, Median Contemporary, Toronto. Curated by Rui Pimenta

Summerfires, Galerie Lausberg Contemporary, Toronto. Curated by Julie Oakes

Back to the Garden, Headbones Gallery, Toronto, Curated by Julie Oakes. With Angiola Churchill, Donna Kriekle, and Ortansa Moraru

Aligning with Beauty, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, Curated by Julie Oakes

2008

Kiwi Garden Sculpture Project, Kiwi Gardens (Perth) / Edward Day Gallery (Toronto), Curated by Mary Sue Rankin. With: Denise Atkinson, Ania Biczysko, Wojtek Biczysko, Anne O’Callaghan, Reinhard Reitzenstein, Penelope Stewart, Mark Thompson, and Marc Walter

The Buddha Composed, from Julie Oake's Pass the Buddha series, Galerie Samuel Lallouz, Montreal

Julie Oakes & Pass The Buddha The Museum of Northern History, Kirkland Lake, ON

Revivified, Headbones Gallery, Toronto. Curated by Julie Oakes. With: P. Tobacco Forrester,
Kathleen Vance, Lorne Wagman, Betty Tompkins, John Torreano, and Wendy Mark

2007

Mobile Structures: Dialogues between Ceramics and Architecture in Canadian Art, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. Curated by Timothy Long. With: Ruth Chambers, Greg Forrest, Jeremy Hatch, Rory MacDonald, Jeannie Mah, Alwin O'Bien, Gilbert Poissant and Linda Sormin.

Cirrostratus, Ontario Crafts Council, Toronto

Mobile Structures: Dialogues between Ceramics and Architecture in Canadian Art, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. Curated by Timothy Long

2006

Kiwi Garden Sculpture Project, Kiwi Gardens (Perth) / Edward Day Gallery (Toronto), Curated by Mary Sue Rankin. With: With: Wojtek Biczysko, Shayne Dark, Tom Dean, Francis Muscat, Helena Ogorzelec, David Pickering, Orest Tataryn, and Mark Thompson

2005

Shore|Lines Project, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, ON (Large Scale Site Specific Outdoor Sculpture and Installation Biennial) Curated by James Patten

Kiwi Garden Sculpture Project, Kiwi Gardens (Perth) / Edward Day Gallery (Toronto), Curated by Mary Sue Rankin. With: Wojtek Biczysko, Tom Dean, Doug Guildford, Anthony Koutras, Dawn MacNutt, John McEwen, David Pellettier, Steven White, Catherine Widgery,

2004

Second Nature, Fish Tank Gallery, Williamsburg (Brooklyn), NY, Curated by Linda Dennis. With: Kim Keever, Lisa DiLillo, Wolfgang Stiller, and others.

Wish You Were Here 3, A.I.R. Gallery, New York, NY

2002

Experimental Television Center (guest screening), Newark Valley, NY

Film/Video Festival at Alfred University, Alfred, NY

2001

New Works in Glass, Art Site Gallery, Wellsville, NY

Oscillating Perspectives, Art Site Gallery, Wellsville, NY

The Jewish Education Alliance, Savannah, Georgia

The Gordon Center, Nashville, Tennessee

A Love Story, Mercer Union Gallery, Toronto

2000

Erotica 21 , Art System Gallery (featured in Project Room), Toronto

The Graduate Show, Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto

Art/Party, Art System Gallery, Toronto

1999

Portes Ouvertes 1999, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris

Supérette du sexe - festival "Un Printemps Bizarre," La Flèche d’Or, Paris

Galerie Gauche, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris

1998

Mind over Matter ,OCAD, Toronto

1997

Eros/Erotica, The Simcoe Gallery, Toronto

Atrium Gallery (ceramic exhibition), OCAD, Toronto

1994

Fifth Avenue Court Gallery, Ottawa

1993

Fifth Avenue Court Gallery, Ottawa

1991

Waverley Gallery, Ottawa

Performance

1987

Choreographer/Movement Director, The North Toronto Children’s Choir

1979

Performer/production assistant for Laura Foreman’s Composers and Choreographers Theater. New Collaborative Art/Video/Sound Installation-Environment, Robert Rauschenberg’s studio, New York.

1970-74

Company Dancer with Composers and Choreographers. Spaces performed at Bryant Park Library,New York. Signals II performances include: The New School Dance Festival, The Cubiculo Theater, Judson Memorial Church, Washington Square Methodist Church, The Museum of Modern Art (Sculpture Garden), New York.

Selected Culture Sector Experience

2009 +

Board of Directors, Visual Arts Ontario, Toronto
Founded in 1974, Visual Arts Ontario’s career management and skills development services have been integral to the success of thousands of visual artists across Ontario. Visual Arts Ontario is a non-profit organization that addresses the interests of artists of all career levels, as well as arts organizations and the art-interested public. VAO provides a wide range of programs and services to it’s Membership including workshops, self-help guides, and on-line training. Programs cover such topics as portfolio presentation, exhibition management, marketing strategies, and business skills for the small business operator. As Canada’s largest and most active association of artists, VAO takes pride in offering its members a variety of vital services to enhance their careers.

2009 +

Curator, Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, Waterloo, ON.
The Gallery is recognized nationally for its critically acclaimed exhibitions, lectures, conferences, classes, workshops, tours, and specialized library, archive, and research centre. It is home to an extensive and ever expanding collection of historical and contemporary Canadian ceramic, glass and enamel art which conserves and promotes a rich and active component of our Canadian cultural heritage.

2007-09

Co-Founder/Co-Director/Curator, Rouge Concept Gallery, Toronto (included the landmark exhibition Judy Chicago: A Survey of Major Works curated by Virginia Eichhorn). Also representing and/or dealing of works by such artists as Jack Butler, Judy Chicago, Alfred Engerer, Robert Farmer, Daniel Hanequand, Jean-Christian Knaff, Claude Miceli, Francis Muscat, Julie Oakes, Tina Poplawski, Tyler Rock, Marian Wihak, and others.

2007-08

Associate Director/Curator, Lehmann Leskiw Fine Art Toronto. Representing such artists as Sheryl Dudley, Richard Halliday, Cherry Hood, Jiri Ladocha, Lee L'Clerc, Marcus Leatherdale, Attila Richard Lukacs, Julie Oakes, Tina Poplawski, Hans Schüle, and the estates of Peter Winterhalter Aspell and Karl-Heinz Weinberger.

2005

Artistic and Executive Director, Contemporary Art Forum | Kitchener and Area (CAFKA), Kitchener

2001-03

Founding Artist Member, Coach House Art Studio, Toronto

1996

Board of Directors (Treasurer), Inter/Access, Toronto

2001

Administrative Services Officer, Touring Office, Canada Council, Ottawa

1994

Board of Directors (Treasurer), Fifth Avenue Court Gallery, Ottawa

1989-90

Publicist, First Canadian Artists, Toronto

1988-89

Project Grants Officer, Arts Branch, Ministry of Culture and Communications, Toronto

1985

Costume Designer/Dept. Head, Kawartha Summer Theatre, Lindsay, Ontario

1984-85

Assistant Costume Designer, The Company Theatre, Toronto

Teaching Experience

2009-10

Ontario College of Art and Design
          Instructor, Faculty of Art (Foundations), Form and Structure

2007-10

Toronto School of Art
          Instructor, Sculpture Casting Multiples (mould-making)
          Instructor, Studio Sculpture

2008

Ontario College of Art and Design
          Instructor, Faculty of Art (Foundations), Form and Structure
          Instructor, Faculty of Design (Foundations), Form and Structure

2006-07

Ontario College of Art and Design
          Instructor, Faculty of Art (Sculpture/Installation), Introduction to Bronze Casting
          Instructor, Faculty of Design, Introduction to Ceramics

2003

School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, NY
          Instructor, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Introduction to Sculpture

2002

School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, NY
          Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Art, Sophomore (2nd Year) Metal
          Guest Lecturer, Faculty of Art History, Contemporary Issues in Sculpture
          Visiting Artist Instructor, Faculty of Ceramics Raku Firing in Wood Kilns
          Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Art, Junior (3rd Year) Metal, Stone, and Foundry

2001

School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, NY
          Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Art, Sophomore (2nd Year) Robotics

Grants and Awards

Visual Artist Project Grant, Ontario Arts Council

Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant (Recommender: Visual Arts Ontario)

Full Tuition Scholarship and Fellowship, NYSCC at Alfred University, NY

Full Tuition Scholarship and Fellowship, NYSCC at Alfred University, NY

Louis Odette Sculpture Award, Toronto, Canada

Dorothy Hoover Award for Visual Work and Written Research, Toronto, Canada

Canada Millennium Scholarship Grant

International Exchange Study Grant to ’École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, Paris

Ontario College of Art and Design Tuition Bursary, Toronto, Canada

Dora Wechler Memorial Fund Award for Ceramics, Toronto, Canada

Charles Magee Memorial Tuition Scholarship for Drawing and Painting, Toronto, Canada

Artist in Residence, InterAccess, Toronto, Canada

Education

2003

MFA Sculpture,
School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, New York

2000

A.O.C.A.D. Fine Art
Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto

1999

École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, Paris

Publications

Articles/Reviews:

Nicu, Maria Cecilia. Sublineri: Aligning with Beauty. Toronto: Observatorul, 14 December, 2008.
Gessell, Paul. Down the Garden Path. The Ottawa Citizen, 10 July, 2008.
Reid, Rex. Contrary Forces. Waterloo Record, Sat. April 12, 2008.
Ormston, Jennifer. Meaning Memory Milieu. Waterloo Chronicle, 26 March, 2008.
Group Show: Surrey Art Gallery. artreview.ca Canadian Art News Network, September, 2007.
Vancouver Sun (caption and photo), September 21, 2007.
Anderson, Jack. Undermining the Notion of Fixedness. The Leader Post, 4 April, 2007.
Messadié, Janine. Entrevue avec Christian Bernard Singer. Émission: Estiva - Les arts et les autres. Radio-Canada, 5 July, 2006.<br>
McElroy, Gil. “Reviews.” Sculpture Magazine, March, 2006.
Young, Kathryn. Art in the Garden: Adding artistic flourishes to greenery goes back to Roman times. The Ottawa Citizen, Sat., 3 September, 2005, p. J7.
Chun, Belinda. Installation meets earth-works in New York native’s secret gardens. ThisWay, Issue No. 1, 2006
Messadié, Janine. Entrevue avec Christian Bernard Singer. Émission: “Les arts et les autres.” Radio-Canada, 27 June, 2005.
Eichhorn, Virginia. New Work: Christian Bernard Singer. Samplesize.ca, May, 2005.
Hall, Lauren. “Layered Meanings.” Echo Weekly, 31 March ­ 6 April, 2005.
Demers, Véronique. “Christian Singer allie l’art à l’environnement.” Le Régional, 30 March – 5 April, 2005.
Christian Bernard Singer, OCAD Alumni News, April, 2005. DeGroot, Martin. “Art co-operative invites us to brush winter blues away.” The Record, 8 March, 2005.
Haber, John. Art Reviews from Around New York: 7.12.04. Haberarts, 12 July, 2004.
Evidence. CIUT FM, 2 November, 2003.
Paquette, Daniel. Say Cheese. XTRA! Toronto’s Gay and Lesbian Biweekly, 30 October, 2003, p. 35.
Frost, Steve. Show Beats Winter. The Art Species May, 2003, p. 2.
Hardman, Elaine. Moss Inspires Alfred Artist. Patriot and Free Press, 16 April, 2003, p. 10.
Hardman, Elaine. A ‘Mossed See’ Exhibition in Wellsville. Alfred Sun, 10 April, 2003, p. 1.
Carlton, Bridget. Moss Featured in Art Show. Fiat Lux, 15 April, 2003, p. 6.
Bulucon, Chandra, Karagiorgos, Vasilliki. Quick Stop Art Stop. CKLN Toronto, 8 November, 2000
Sex City. CIUT FM, November, 2000.
Loyst, Cynthia. Sex TV City TV Toronto, 9 November, 2000.
Superette du sexe Sexzine, Paris (April 1999)
Jeanson, Sylvie-Anne. Sans détours. Radio Canada CJBC, 2 May, 1998.
Smith, Mabel C. ... KST’s The Hollow Comes Back a Winner. Peterborough Examiner July, 1985.
Dance Magazine. Cabled Choreographies. Dance Magazine December, 1973., p. 40.
McDonagh, Don. 2 Foreman Works for Dance Prove Though-Provoking. New York Times, 12 May, 1972.
Jowitt, Deborah. Doing and Performing. The Village Voice, 27 May, 1971.
Alen, Frances. ChoreoConcerts. Dance News May, 1971, p. 13.
McDonagh, Don. Diverse Elements Unified by Dancers in a Winning Ballet. New York Times, 28 March, 1971.
Mason, Nancy. ChoreoConcerts; The New School, NYC. Dance Magazine January, 1971, p. 74-76.

Books and Catalogues:

Oakes, Julie. Headbones Anthology (book). Toronto: RichFog, 2098.

Fanning, Eileen, Ed. American Art Directory 2009. New Providence, NJ: National Register Publishing; 63 edition, 2008.

Campbell, James D. Buddha Composed (book). Montreal: Galerie Samuel Lallouz, 2008.

Oakes, Julie. Headbones Anthology (book). Toronto: RichFog, 2008.

Oakes, Julie. Aligning with Beauty (exhibition catalogue). Markham: Varley Art Gallery of Markham, 2008.

Eichhorn, Virginia. Christian Bernard Singer: Cabinets of Curiosities. Waterloo: Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, 2008.

Oakes, Julie. Christian Bernard Singer - Eco-Installations: Dressing Mother Earth. Toronto: Rich Fog Publishing (Book), 2008.

Gogarty, Amy. ‘A Bell Rings Out’ — Recollection, Architecture and Ceramics at the End of Modernity (exhibition catalogue). Regina: MacKenzie Art Gallery, 2007

Long, Timothy and Gogarty, Amy. Unearthing (exhibition catalogue). Regina: MacKenzie Art Gallery, 2007

Eichhorn, Virginia. Tessellated Anamnesis - Patterns for Unforgetting: New Work by Christian Bernard Singer (exhibition catalogue). Waterloo: Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, 2007.

McDonagh, Don. The Complete Guide to Modern Dance. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1976.

McDonagh, Don. The Rise, Fall and Rise of Modern Dance. New York: Mentor Books, 1971.

Willis, John. Dance World 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974. New York: Crown Publishers, 1972-5.

Video:

Ready, Tom (Producer). Smoke, A Firing with Christian Singer (Video). Toronto: OCAD, 1999.

Texts Written by Singer:

Judy Chicago: A Survey of Important Works (catalogue design and Forward), Rouge Contemporary Projects at Rouge Concept Gallery, RichFog Micro Publishing, 2009 (ISBN 978-0-9811940-0-4).

Vicki Smith: Balance (catalogue essay), Lehmann Leskiw Fine Art, RichFog Micro Publishing, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-9732298-3-7).

The Mick and Cindy Show: The Cost of Being Fabulous (catalogue essay), Lehmann Leskiw Fine Art, RichFog Micro Publishing, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-9732298-2-0).

X Industria: CAFKA.05 (catalogue text), Contemporary Art Forum | Kitchener & Area, 2005 (ISBN 0-9730384-4-6).

Archives:

The American Center for Artists, Santa Monica, California
The Artists' Center, New York, NY Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Scholes Library, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY.
The Ontario College of Art and Design Library and Archive, Toronto, Ontario.
Laura Foreman Archives. Dance Collection, Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, New York, NY.
Judson Dance Theater, Judson Memorial Church Archive (1835-1995), New York, NY.
Dance Collection, New York Public Library, New York, NY.

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