Gornik, April
“I have always loved nature. It’s fundamental to my spiritual being, and helps me locate and define myself in the world, and that is central to my work itself.”
—April Gornik, from her artist statement
April Gornik’s dreamlike landscapes merge her style of realism and attention to detail together with her abstract, sometimes surreal exaggerations. By heightening elements of color, shadow, and exposure, Gornik projects a sense of wonder and mysticism onto the North American terrain. She is primarily known as a painter, but her occasional photographs—including this work in the MoCP Museum of Contemporary Photography collection—utilize similar techniques. Nature is central to Gornik’s practice, and although she does not consider herself an environmental artist, she has embraced interpretations of her work as a protest against destruction and a reminder to safeguard our natural world.
Red Dune is one of thirteen prints featured in the portfolio America: Now and Here which was produced in 2009 in conjunction with a traveling exhibition of the same name. Both seek to expand a dialogue about American identity post-9/11. The portfolio’s introductory essay, A Calamity of Heart, was written by E.L. Doctorow and commissioned by curator, Eric Fischl to serve as an introduction to the collected works. Their intention, stated Doctorow, is to serve as “the ground song for our time of a diverse, still vibrantly alive society.” Doctorow’s prose is a call to action in restoring the celebration of expressive freedom.
Other artists in the portfolio include: Ross Bleckner, Chuck Close, Ralph Gibson, April Gornik, Sally Mann, Vik Muniz, Lou Reed, Andres Serrano, Laurie Simmons, and Bill Viola.
April Gornik received her BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1976. Her first solo exhibit was hosted in 1981 by the Edward Thorp gallery in New York. Gornik’s work has been exhibited in various museums including National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.; Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Guild Hall Museum in 2003 and was included in the 41st and 56th editions of the Venice Biennale. Gornik work is included in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY and various others.
