Collected imagery and objects create strong, spiritual narratives in Michael Joyal’s Trinity: Painting, Drawing and Collage, a three-week art exhibition at the Cre8ery Gallery.

A large collection of objects that you might find at an antique shop, flea market or hobby store litter Joyal’s West End studio. Figurines, old maps, coins, comic books, an old typewriter and dinosaur bones are just some of things that Joyal draws inspiration from for his collages.
“The narratives seem to create themselves,” Joyal said, when discussing his intuitive process.

In pieces he calls “shadow box” collages, Joyal juxtaposes images and objects in a deep, glass-topped box, hoping people will connect these compositions into a story.

“Life in a box,” he explained.

The viewer can’t help but feel voyeuristic looking into these boxes, as though they might contain intimate secrets or stories. Sometimes the stories are morbid and peculiar.

In one box, a pair of pliers lies next to a glass vial containing a relative’s wisdom teeth, conjuring up images of early tooth extraction.

In another piece, called “Shannon’s File,” a piece of cardboard acts as a backdrop to what could be a murder scene, which includes a torn picture of a woman’s legs spattered in what might be blood.

 

The 39-year-old artist says that there is no connection between his age and the 39 pieces in the show besides coincidence. However, there is a spiritual undercurrent that runs through Joyal’s work. Crosses and Madonna-like figures appear in his compositions.

In his watercolor paintings, Joyal collages images of birds and people. Storks and crows appear, as do woman in gas masks – a contrast in subject matter that seems to work for his latest collection.

In some ways, Joyal’s pieces are filled with nostalgia, containing treasures from the past that could appear in a museum or that may have washed up on the beach. The coastal feel one observes when looking at the works makes sense, given that Labrador is Joyal’s birthplace.

After leaving Labrador, Joyal moved to Fort McMurray. He received his BFA in 1993 from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. He then moved to Edmonton for 10 years and only recently relocated to Winnipeg.

He has a lot to say about his new home.

“The art scene here is dynamic and intimate. Everyone is so closely knit here. I love it,” Joyal said.

He’s also a fan of the city’s abundance of second-hand stores and thrift shops.

“When you collect like I do, Winnipeg has lots to offer.”