Penelope Stewart’s solo-exhibition, the incompleteness of presence, presents one of her artist books in accompaniment with a suite of photo screen prints on Japanese paper. This suite of prints is a new project inspired by Stewart’s experiences during a residency at la Maison Patrimoniale de Barthète: a museum dedicated to historic tiles, faïence and contemporary art, on a 19^th century estate in the Midi-Pyrénées, France. During the residency, Stewart’s time was divided between wandering and foraging in the vast gardens of the estate, and deep explorations into the workrooms of the museum. Each experience became a fold in thinking about archives, gardens, and collections.

Penelope Stewart holds an MFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (RCA). She has received numerous grants and awards from the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council and has been the recipient of several honours including First Prize at the Centre for Perceptual Arts (CEPA), New York and Ontario; the Nick Novak Fellow at Open Studio, Toronto; and a public commission for Maison Alexandre Stern in Paris, France. Stewart’s work has been the subject of exhibitions at notable institutions including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York; Koffler Gallery, Ontario; Oakville Galleries, Ontario; Medalta Museum, Alberta; and ACT Design Museum, Australia.

To coincide with the opening and run of Penelope’s solo exhibition here at Smokestack, we have collaborated with Penelope to release a suite of limited edition hand-printed screen prints on tosa washi paper. Each is available as part of a closed edition of 7.