welcome to our
SATURDAY EVENING POST
October 26th, 2024
SPECIAL EDITION
We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who visited and spent time with us. A special round of applause goes to our incredible artists—Nettie Wild, Charlotte Wall, Tony Robins, and Deirdre Hofer—who traveled all the way from Vancouver to Toronto. Their dedication in sharing our workload throughout the fair and their initiative in engaging with everyone who showed a genuine interest and passion for art was truly appreciated. We also felt privileged to be surrounded by so many dear friends who sat down with us for conversations about art, people, and life.
Though our feet were tired by the end, we have just one more day to go, and we have made it through the fair in high style and high spirits.
The Story of the Fire Hydrant Box
When designing our booth, we didn’t anticipate the large fire hydrant box that would be positioned in our aisle, prominently facing our space. To honour its unexpected presence throughout the fair, we decided to fully embrace it. So we wrote an artist statement for the fire hydrant box and attempted to sell it as a piece of public interest.
Thank you all for really entertaining us.
Untitled (Fire Hydrant Box)
1984
Fire hose, nozzle, extinguisher, hydrant valve, spanner, couplings, fittings, signage, metal, glass, patina
This work is exclusively represented by Paul Kyle Gallery, Booth C52
Untitled (Fire Hydrant Box) is a relic of silent power, a portal disguised as an object, blurring the line between reality and myth. This work invites us to re-examine the beauty hidden in what seems to be everyday objects, with its weathered patina and meticulously crafted interior, transcends its industrial origins to take on a presence that exceeds its function. It becomes a modern-day totem, an artifact of late 20th-century urbanism that has acquired the mythos and gravitas of ancient relics, infused with the passage of time.
This work challenges the boundary between art and utility, embracing the belief that beauty and function can coexist. Drawing inspiration from the opposing force of Suprematism and Bauhaus, this piece defies singular interpretation. Like Malevich’s pursuit of intuitive, non-utilitarian creation, the hydrant box’s exterior, adorned with its rich patina, evokes the visual language of abstract painting. However, the work also embraces the ideals of the Bauhaus and functionalism, which saw no separation between art and life, arguing that the aesthetic should always serve a purpose.
In this sense, Untitled (Fire Hydrant Box) lives in a liminal space between art and utility. The pristine interior, with its fire hose, nozzle, extinguisher, and various accessories, even complete with an artist note, remains ready for action, a functional mechanism waiting to fulfil its duty. Its beauty lies in this duality: the practicality of its design and the artistry of its form. The work embodies the idea that the mundane can be elevated to art through careful design, and that art can still serve the needs of humanity.
By elevating the hydrant box to the status of art, this work asks us to reconsider the role of utility in aesthetic creation. It is a testament to Le Corbusier’s statement that “a house is a machine for living in. Baths, sun, hot-water, cold-water, warmth at will, conservation of food, hygiene, beauty in the sense of good proportion. An armchair is a machine for sitting in and so on” extending this belief to the broader world of design: What happens when the objects that serve us also move us? Can art be beautiful, functional, and necessary all at once?
In the context of the art fair, it transforms into an object of reverence. Its physicality demands attention, standing as a monumental marker of human resilience and vulnerability. The fire hydrant box is more than industrial design, it is a historian, speaking to our reliance on tools of survival and our search for beauty in the practical. The piece reflects a primordial connection between fire and water, destruction and salvation.
Please visit us at Booth C52
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Buildling255 Front Street West, Toronto
Last chance to visit the fair is Sunday, October 29th, 12-6 PM.