Bio
Robin Kingsburgh teaches science to artists and designers at the Ontario College of Art & Design University. She has a background in science (Ph.D. in Astronomy,
1992, University College London), and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Mexico from 1993-1996. Her courses at OCAD U include Astronomy, What
is Time? and the Science of Colour. She also teaches in the Division of Natural Science at York University. Her painting experience comes from studies in Toronto
(University of Toronto), France (Aix-en-Provençe) the U.K. (continuing education at the Slade School, London), and Haliburton (Haliburton School for the Arts), and
has paralleled her scienti c development. She has curated numerous shows in the Toronto area, including Nuit Blanche Independent Projects, and artwork inspired
by the ideas and methodologies of science. Kingsburgh has exhibited in Toronto in solo and group shows for the past few years. She is a member of Propeller Gallery
Artist statement
Moved by the geometry of the Universe, my work examines the ne balance between order and chaos. Painting with random or chaotic elements in a juxtaposition
of organic gestures held by mathematically structured forms, I aim to house imperfection in a conceptual perfection. In that imperfection lies not only the beauty of
the Universe, but that of the human condition.
I start with geometry: notions of perfection, that are just notions. Rendered by the human hand, the perfect becomes imperfect. Order breaks down into chaos, and
chaos spontaneously gives rise to order. In an attempt to understand and transcend the chaotic Universe, humans have imposed grids and mathematical
formalisms, yet the chaotic Universe refuses to be contained. To me the square speaks to being human, and represents the balance between order and chaos, or
more precisely the human attempt to understand and transcend the ever-present chaos, at all levels of scale. For me, the visceral quality of paint can strongly invoke
the tension between order and chaos. I look for the point where chaotic energy can paradoxically be still, and at that point invite the possibility of experiencing the
sublime. The dance between order and chaos not only is inherent in the structural qualities of the Universe, but also integral to the human psyche. The imposition of
order on things which inherently can’t be ordered, speaks to the human condition, and ultimately reveals the underlying beauty of imperfection.
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