Organized by the Toronto Culture association and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, the show features work by established contemporary Canadian artists, disciples of the Group of Eleven -- a Canadian art movement similar to the abstract impressionist movement in the US during the 1930s.

“In addition to the more traditional paintings, the show also features installations and videos,” says museum curator Li Xiangyang.

“Although the 15 painters are unique and distinctive in terms of their styles and perspectives, they share certain cultural themes.”

Denyse Thomasos, for example, covers her canvas with checks, while Richard Gorman employs color patches to reflect the changing seasons.

“Their art emphasizes a harmonious theme, expressing the purity of nature in Canada,” Li adds.

Wanda Koop, for example, captures natural scenery in a unique way: painting a view finder on her canvas -- as if suggesting that the artist, like a hunter, needs a point of focus.

The red-crossed view finder, which Koop says was inspired watching television footage of military maneuvers on during the war in Kosovo, has become a Koop signature. Koop's exhibition “In Your Eye” was at the Venice Biennale.

(eastday.com September 6, 2002)