What kind of an alphabet would a modern–day philosopher have? Since their thinking expands into the realm of abstract thought and concepts, their symbol system would have to do the same. Can you imagine what that would look like?

For artist and philosopher Michael Allgoewer, his current exhibition, Contingent appears to be a set of modern hieroglyphics. A symbolic language system using shapes, colour and composition to communicate the conceptual ideas he’s toying with.

Spanning evenly across the gallery walls are relief squares laid out like ABCs for the intellect. Each one seems to hold a unique meaning that is different from the others yet as a whole they string together to form a unit or alphabet. His pieces have titles like “3a,” and “10b,” that further accentuate the fact that these are part of a series or alphabet. 

In order to gain insight into the philosophical possibilities of what these pieces are saying, we need a translator, or some method of bridging the abstract realm into the everyday realm.  Asking the artist is a good way to start. 

“The works comprising Contingent all seem to hinge on dualities: order/chaos, colour/line, and vertical/horizontal,” says the artist. He continues to explain that the source of inspiration for this exhibition came from Matter and Memory, a book by Henri Bergson. Allgoewer discovered “the locus of consciousness exists at the intersection of the horizontal line, and the vertical.”  In Bergson’s book the horizontal is described as “contain(ing) all simultaneous objects in space,” and the vertical is noted as “our successive recollections set out in time.” 

“A cross is formed at the point where the horizontal and vertical meet,” Allgoewer observes. Within his work there are endless possible combinations for the horizontal and vertical to meet. Each piece becomes a variant display for opposites crossing paths.

At first glance these pieces appear very simple, just linear shapes filled in with soothing colours. But upon deeper contemplation, the complexity of these squares is thick. When you begin to consider the limitless possibilities for horizontal and vertical lines to meet, your head begins to spin. “The horizontal and the vertical can theoretically extend to infinity,” says the artist. That would certainly make for a very long alphabet.

The meeting of the horizontal and vertical creates a grid–like pattern. “To a large extent, the appeal of the grid is in its inherent neutrality and its formulaic ability to provide a matrix upon which to project a myriad of variations,” says Allgoewer.

When I consider the abstract concepts of horizontal and vertical lines, I realize this could be applied to any form of opposites, like male and female, tall and short, rich and poor.  There are endless ways opposites can cross over and affect one another. Contingent means something that is dependent on something else, or in other words, one cannot exist without the other. For example, tall cannot exist without short. If one cannot exist without the other, then opposites are bound to each other in a gravitational way. Their destiny is engraved to connect, but the ways in which they do is unlimited.

In this exhibition we get a taste of some of the possible ways opposites can meet. The pieces become bits of a larger story, a grander exploration into this artist’s quest to understand life through his chosen medium of visual art.

Allgoewer has been creating art for over 30 years. During that time he has exhibited a great deal. Reflecting on some of the titles from his past exhibitions gives a further clue into the common theme that threads through his work. With titles like, Subconscious Mythologies, Avatars and Allusions, Unfinished Journeys, Gravity and Grace, and Uncertain Signs, there is an obvious contemplative quality to this artist’s approach.

So what are these modern hieroglyphics communicating? They are speaking to us in the manner of possibility. Each visual symbol constructed by the artist is a possible route for opposites to unite. When you think about the opposites in your own life, consider this art and ask yourself what possible way these opposites could merge.

“It all makes sense to me,” says Allgoewer. V

[ LAURA HOLLICK]

CONTINGENT
By Michael Allgoewer
TRANSIT GALLERY
230 Locke St S
905.522.1299
Continues to July 16