Jim Holyoak

Biography

Jim Holyoak, motte #2, 2023, Ink, graphite and watercolour on paper, 13.5 x 16.5 inches

Jim Holyoak explores ink and graphite drawing in all its forms, working in a wide variety of formats, from postcards and books to monumental compositions adapted to the architecture of the spaces they occupy. Through each of his works, the viewer is transported into a world oscillating between the biological and the fantastic, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with non-human worlds. Rooted in empathy, Holyoak's work engages with debates surrounding posthumanism and the ecological crisis. Inspired by the challenge of capturing deep time - the world as it was millions of years ago and speculative worlds yet to come - Holyoak depicts strange creatures and their habitats, the unknown and the invisible, beings too tiny to be seen or so ancient that they have turned to stone.

Jim Holyoak is based in Nelson, British Columbia. His work can be found in many institutional collections, such as the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Musée d'art contemporain des Laurentides, the Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, the Royal Ontario Museum, the RBC Collection, the Bank of Montreal, and the Carleton University Art Gallery, as well as numerous public and private collections. He holds a BFA from the University of Victoria and an MFA from Concordia University. Most recently, his collaborative work with Matt Shane was featured in an international publication, Drawing in the Present Tense, edited by Roger Malbert & Claire Gilman and distributed by Thames & Hudson, UK.

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Selected artworks