Art in Cut - new exhibition in Canada

Graydon Sheppard, Becky Comber and Ariel Rubin present their new exhibition. In Comber's work, she cuts out snapshots of people, then collages them onto glass, and then photographs it outside with the world as the backdrop. Rubin uses what looks like people's heads that have been cut off, which are then placed in boxes on display. "(Rubin's work) is of the actual physical cutting of, the body," Sheppard said.

The three artists became friends while in second year at Ryerson. During their third year, they did a show together at the gallery at school, and decided they wanted to learn what it was like to exhibit, to fully understand the process before they graduated. But the only time available in the Ryerson Gallery turned out to be a year and a half later, six months after they graduated.

Sheppard feels like he learned a lot during his time at Ryerson, providing him with a good mixture of theoretical and technical work. "One of the later things I learned is that you have to put yourself fully into it and that's the only way you're going to get the most out of it.

"I learned how to work more independently and push myself and have drive."

Sheppard was once referred to as a "sweet muffin with razorblades inside."

Sheppard's artwork in Cut features two characters, twins named Friedrich and Abraham. Friedrich knows how to have fun, and is unafraid of what others might think of him. He cares only about himself, and gives utmost importance to his own happiness. Abraham shares this concern for happiness, but refuses to inconvenience anyone else in achieving that happiness. He plays life by the rules and believes that being a good person will bring him rewards in the end, according to the Eyeopener.

These polar opposites live inside of Sheppard. "It's there everyday," he said. "I feel extremely one way when I go to bed at night, and then I wake up in the morning, and I can't believe I felt that way the day before."

His work is about misunderstanding one's self and then trying to create a sense of balance to gain inner harmony. "I think everyone is dealing with that and it's not specifically just about me," he said. "I was kind of inspired by honesty and that whole emo movement, although that makes me feel a little sick to my stomach." A.M.