My new show now up at the Distillery district, called Quantum Entanglement In this body of work I am exploring the concept of seemingly random particles and their influence on each others behavior; instantly , and at a distance, and at the exact same moment in time. The idea of an unseen force that constantly impacts on celestial bodies, (including our own) and also the hidden or dark side of those bodies, and the powers of that force holds over us, even if we are unaware. In this work there is always a shadow aspect that seems to be invisible at first, hidden behind the illuminated foreground component. In many of the works the constellation of orion is present this is because it is the birthplace of many solar systems. I believe that ours was born in the nebula. Just as the symbol of the mother is always present in the story of the child so too is the force of the nebula that spawned our solar system always present in our collective unconscious as a reminder that we are all made of that stardust.
For Maihyet Burton, art has been a way of life. Although not formerly trained, as the daughter of noted Canadian painter Dennis Burton and installation artist/OCAD instructor Diane Pugen, she received much of her education growing up in a home that doubled as a multi-media studio.
Burton’s first love of the visual arts is photography, through which she has explored both landscape and portraits. Her newer work includes portraiture, with luxurious and haunting depictions of a future culture after the fall of our civilization.
Most recently, she has turned her attention toward the canvas, utilizing a multi-media approach involving paints, needle and thread and photographic collage. Her abstract, often childlike illustrations seek to juxtapose dream imagery with harsh reality, the dark and scary with the fanciful and joyous, and nature with the supernatural.
Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout Toronto and Montreal.
Meanwhile, Burton has worked for almost 2 decades as a designer, manufacturer and retailer of women’s and children’s clothing, and is the owner of Lilith in Toronto’s Distillery District