Artist Statement

Christopher Webb explores the interplay between humanity and the expanding realm of global trade and its profound impact on our planet. His paintings confront the harsh realities of our world, where the relentless pursuit of efficiency and profit come at the expense of our environment and collective well-being.

Webb depicts everyday scenes or objects, often cropped, each rendered with a studied economy of means. His motifs are often imaginary or inspired from his own or found photographs which he then paints in a photorealistic, technically masterful way, resulting in images that are deeply familiar yet intriguingly unknowable. Pieces of paper filled with Webb’s prose or notes often provide a sub-layer for his works and these experiments with texture and scale help to produce works rich in layered meanings. More recently, Webb has produced a series of intimately scaled paintings of shipping containers and the massive cargo vessels which he views daily from his studio in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Gently ironic in their approach, and influenced by an interest in repetition and seriality typical of conceptual photography, these paintings thrive on the palpable tension between utilitarian value and uselessness. Webb's often mundane subject matter offers the viewer a literal entry point into each image, yet any suggestion of narrative remains ambiguous and open-ended. Ultimately, his work investigates visual ideologies and unleashes a vast array of associated chains, posing both personal and socio-political questions.

Webb's images, much like the containers he paints, are filled with what we seek: desire, collective aspirations for a society that embraces sustainability and harmony, beauty amidst the brutal, solace amidst the chaos.

Biography

Christopher Webb is a self-taught, visual artist who lives in works in Nova Scotia, Canada. He was awarded the CREA - Cantieri del Contemporaneo Venezia Prize for Painting and will have his first international solo exhibition in 2025 at the Marina Bastianello Gallery in Venice, Italy.

Webb has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions including: Contained - Dalhousie University School of Architecture, Halifax, Canada (2024/solo), Dys(U)topia - Crea Cantieri del Contemporaneo Venezia, Venice, Italy (2024/group), Dominus Vobiscum - PAVIA Gallery, Nova Scotia, Canada (2022/Solo), Air Land 4.0: Nature, Technology, Energy - Turin, Italy (2022/Group), Nova Scotia Art Bank Exhibition - Anna Leonowens Gallery / NSCAD University, Nova Scotia, Canada (2022/Group), Alone - Acadia University Art Gallery - Nova Scotia, Canada (2021/Group), and Terroir - A Nova Scotia Survey - Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Canada (2016/Group). His work has been placed in various public collections including: Comune di Valenzano (Bari, Italy), The Nova Scotia Art Bank (Nova Scotia, Canada), Province House (Nova Scotia, Canada), and Saint Mary's University (Nova Scotia, Canada). He has been an Artist-in-Residence in Canada and Europe including ARCAC (Annapolis Royal, Canada) and with Quasi Quadro (Torino, Italy).

Webb frequently guest lectures at universities and art colleges and is also the co-founder and director of PAVIA Gallery where he has curated exhibitions and directed Artist-in-Residence programs involving national and international artists.