Noticed: A Summer of Gallery Love for Alex McLeod

I can't say I know it from any firsthand convo, but I'm guessing that emerging Toronto artist Alex McLeod is having a heckuva summer.

I first saw McLeod's work in a solo at Switch Contemporary earlier in June, and now it turns out the the guy has a two-person show opening at Queen West dealer Angell Gallery this Saturday, as well as a hand in an emerging-artist group show at Lonsdale Gallery opening next Wednesday.

So what is it, many young artists may be wondering, that makes McLeod's work "so different, so appealing"? (Or, in the very least, much exhibited.)

Well I have to say that, on the one hand, the guy must be a strong promoter, with work featured on Kanye West's blog, among others.

On the "art itself" end, there is something kind of peculiar about his images. They are digitally created, but depict surreal landscapes that somehow seem to resonate. I had considered posting on his work after that Switch show--in some ways it seemed related both in timing and in theme to the work of Alex Fischer, who I blogged about a couple of weeks back. Both Fischer and McLeod seem able to use digital in convincing ways, with Fischer concealing its more artificial qualities, and McLeod accentuating them.

As with any emerging artist, it will be interesting to see if McLeod can keep a sustained quantity and quality of production.

Image of Alex McLeod's C-Island Seaport from Angell Gallery