Trinidad roots flower through artist's paintings.
Artist John Cadiz stands in front of one of his pieces, which will be on display at Ideas Incorporated, 1081 Bathurst Street until Sunday, Feb. 20.
Staff Photo/JUSTIN SKINNER
From his upbringing in his native Trinidad to his current family life in the Christie Pits community, local artist John Cadiz has a wealth of experiences to convey through his art.
Cadiz's work, some of which is currently on display at Ideas Incorporated Gallery, offers a glimpse into his unique way of viewing the world.
The exhibit, titled John Cadiz Life Stories, features a variety of pieces that are in turns realistic and fantastical, with the artist's own life and views reflected in eye-catching ways.
Cadiz grew up in a large family in Trinidad and realized at an early age that his white skin earned him privileged status on the island. Though he moved to Canada in 1977, his early life is still a sweeping theme in many of his works of art.
"A lot of my paintings are of things that happened years ago, but they're my interpretations of what happened," he said.
Those early influences, however, are generally subconscious, as are the thoughts that fuel some of his more fanciful images. The paintings on display at Ideas Incorporated range from a family portrait to his own take on female suicide bombers.
"When we were hearing so much about suicide bombers in the news, I was profoundly affected by it," he said. "I was particularly offended by women in certain cultures who would blow themselves up for goodness knows what."
The artist started painting in 1985, but a busy life outside of the art world and his own meticulousness have conspired to limit his collection. He has managed to finish about 50 paintings in total - an average of roughly two per year - since he started painting in earnest.
The artist's unique outlook - at times whimsical, at times almost morbid - is evident in the creative touches he includes in his pieces. A painting of a tranquil highway drive, for instance, is offset by the image of pieces of airplane falling from the sky.
"What I paint is based on my experiences along with, I guess, having an overactive imagination," he said. "I'm not (painting) in some sort of vacuum; obviously, it's my own life and a sort of osmosis."
The works in his current show are each explained with a brief blurb that offers some insight into Cadiz's thought process as he was creating his art, though he was careful to allow the viewer room for interpretation.
John Cadiz Life Stories will be on display at Ideas Incorporated, 1081 Bathurst Street until Sunday, Feb. 20.