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Alex Kinsley Vey

Published: 28.09.2022

Bio

Alex Kinsley Vey is originally from Hamilton, O.N. where he received jewellery training from his parents. Moving to Toronto in 2010 Alex studied jewellery at George Brown College, receiving a Adv. Diploma in Jewellery Arts in 2013. He has shown work in Canada, Europe, and the United States. He has been a member of Craft Ontario since 2012 and was accepted into Harbourfront Centre’s Artist-in-Residence program in 2015. Currently a sessional instructor at OCAD University in Toronto, and has previously taught at George Brown College in Toronto, and NSCAD University in Halifax.

Statement

>>The Third Death
 
'There are three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.' – David M. Eagleman

The Third Death came from a personal place of regret, never getting to know my Opa before his passing in 2012. This series of photographic brooches is an attempt to extend his ‘Third Death’. His name is Oscar “Rene” Franz Ludwig Vey. From his childhood in Nurnberg during the Second World War, to his journey to Canada and his work in the metalworker’s union movement in London, Ontario. These fragments of his life are all that are left behind.

I etch these photos from paper onto steel, a material that unites us both (him as a caster and moulder, me growing up in the shadow of the steel mills of my hometown) and lasts much longer than the paper and acetate originals. However, everything decays; the rust gives us a glimpse into that future. Entropy is a constant. Nothing lasts forever.
 


>>Iron Identity 
We are products of our environments, shaped and changed by the places we call home.
 
Iron Identity explores my personal and cultural identity defined by the particular environment I grew up in. This identity is intimately entwined with the place itself. Rust, corrosion, a sense of neglect, the commemoration of a fading legacy, and the ability to endure are the concepts and visual language I express in my work.
 
Hamilton, my home on the shore of Lake Ontario has traditionally been a steel producing centre. Despite the industry having died down in recent decades, its industrial activity is still apparent.  Iron Identity references my time growing up there, and the impact this place had on me. The culture of Hamilton was rough, the attitude grimy, and those characteristics greatly influenced me. Baseball bats, Metal shows and bus fights all existed alongside the backdrop of heavy industry. The working-class ethos and attitudes of my hometown shaped me into who I am today – for better or worse.


 

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Events      View / hide events

2024:
2023:
Award giving  29 Sep 2023 - 29 Sep 2023  Alex Kinsley Vey, JORGC Award at Contemporania 2023 Winner.
Exhibition  28 Jan 2023 - 25 Feb 2023  Animal, Vegetable, Mineral.
2022:
Award giving  13 Oct 2022 - 13 Oct 2022  Enjoia't Awards 2022 Winners.
Exhibition  23 Sep 2022 - 23 Oct 2022  Enjoia't Awards 2022 Sales.
Exhibition  21 Sep 2022 - 20 Nov 2022  Animal, Vegetable, Mineral.
Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada.
Exhibition  21 Sep 2022 - 20 Nov 2022  Animal, Vegetable, Mineral.
Exhibition  03 Sep 2022 - 25 Sep 2022  The Third Death at Borax.
Exhibition dates: :  3 – 4, 10 – 11, 17 – 18,  24 – 25 September 2022.
Vevey, Switzerland.
 
Exhibition  06 Jul 2022 - 10 Jul 2022  Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h at Frame 2022.
2021:
Exhibition  20 Dec 2021 - 11 Feb 2022  Until Death Do Us Part.
Fair  09 Dec 2021 - 12 Dec 2021  Cluster Craft 2021 Fair.
Exhibition  03 Jun 2021 - 14 Aug 2021  Iron Identity by Alex Kinsley Vey in Toronto.
2020:
Exhibition  06 Jun 2020 - 12 Jun 2020  Placement.
Ahwon Gallery,  Seoul, South Korea.
Exhibition  15 May 2020 - 15 Jun 2020  Iron Identity by Alex Kinsley Vey.
Exhibition  11 Mar 2020 - 14 Mar 2020  Broken Beauty in Munich.
Exhibition  14 Jan 2020 - 15 Mar 2020  Placement.
Mary E. Black Gallery,  Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
2019:
Exhibition  14 Dec 2019 - 15 Feb 2020  Broken Beauty.
Open call  20 Sep 2019 - 15 Oct 2019  Open Call for New Vernacular: a Canadian Jewelery Conversation.
Exhibition  21 Feb 2019 - 18 Mar 2019  The Intangibility of Identity.
2018:
Exhibition  04 Oct 2018 - 06 Oct 2018  Selected Artists JOYA Barcelona Art Jewellery Fair 2018.
Exhibition  22 Sep 2018 - 31 Oct 2018  Collectiva Meeting.
Collectiva, Porto, Portugal.
Exhibition  22 Sep 2018 - 31 Oct 2018  Collectiva Meeting.
Exhibition  15 Aug 2018 - 08 Sep 2018  Revealed.
VISUALSPACE Gallery, Vancouver, BC.
Exhibition  08 Jun 2018 - 05 Jul 2018  Conversation Starter.
Studio 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Exhibition  21 May 2018 - 05 Jun 2018  The After Joya Effect V.
2017:
Exhibition  02 Nov 2017 - 08 Nov 2017  Face à Face.
Exhibition  05 Oct 2017 - 07 Oct 2017  Selected Artists JOYA Barcelona Art Jewellery Fair 2017.
Fair  05 Oct 2017 - 07 Oct 2017  JOYA Barcelona Art Jewellery Fair 2017.
Exhibition  21 Jan 2017 - 18 Jun 2017  The Essentials.

Publications      View / hide publications

Book:  Growth & Evolution International Jewellery Exhibition. Sun, HermanChina Modern Publishing House Limited:  Hong Kong,  2020