Tommie Gallie, 'Hidden Charms'

Artist Info: Tommie Gallie is an Edmonton-based artist originally from Nova Scotia. He completed a degree in Fine Art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in the late 60s and continued on to receive his MFA at the University of Alberta in the early 70s. His earliest sculptures often used wood in conjunction with ropes and tar to reference his Maritime heritage. His interest in wood as a medium continued and the majority, if not all, of his later sculptures were made almost entirely out of varying types of wood. Apparently, he often uses smaller pieces of wood to secure the larger sculptural elements together, using balance and pressure instead of nails to create the desired effect. Most of the pieces are site-specific and have been built into a specific location. 

'Hidden Charms' was part of a commission from The Places in 1978 when Churchill LRT station initially opened. It is made of both fir and hemlock woods as well as steel rods over the top of the sculpture. The work is tucked into a pedway alcove between the City Centre Mall and Churchill Station and was likely built on site, specifically for the dimensions of the hallway. Unfortunately, there is minimal information about this work or about Gallie's career as an artist. If you have any more information, please post it to the blog! 


My Thoughts: I have always been undecided about this work which is why I have not posted about it until now. On some days I enjoy the brief reference to trees and nature in the unwelcoming and sterile pedway. Other days I find the work random and confusing. It doesn't seem to tell me a story and I wonder why it is there. In one of the few articles I found about Gallie I read that he sometimes created juxtaposition in his work through the setting and materials. I think there is a definite juxtaposition occurring here between the whitetile of the station and warm yellow wood in the sculpture. Nevertheless, I find the title 'Hidden Charms' very appropriate. The work cannot be seen from the curving pedway until you are right beside it, leaving an unexpected surprise when you finally get a glimpse of this large sculpture. 

What do you think about this piece? Please do let me know if you have any more information about Gallie.