Michael Dumontier’s sixth solo show at MKG127 “The Hollow Square” continues his material play with a familiar cast of objects: flowers, leaves, nails, a candle–rendered with an economy of form, and the simplest of materials: string, wire, wood, and fabric…

A grid of metal mesh leaves, hanging on pins, create moiré patterns, animating with the viewer’s movement; A group of flowers, stems supporting one another, create a doorway; A candle stands next to a firecracker on a tall slim table, offering a choice to contemplate; A field of twisted and rusty nails are scattered on the wall, like small uneasy scribbles.

“The Hollow Square” is a possible quiet place, a void, an entrance, or a window. In sacred harp singing, the hollow square refers to the center position, where the song leader stands, surrounded on all 4 sides by the singers’ voices, receiving everything at once. In this exhibition, we find themes of growth and decay explored with humour and restraint.