Based in Toronto, EJ Lightman is a founding member of the Tree Museum (1997) and co-curator and organizer of the site-specific outdoor installations at the Tree Museum, Gravenhurst, Ont. She has exhibited in Canada, Australia, the United States, Europe, Central and South America, and Mexico.
Lightman was an active member of WorkScene Gallery in Toronto from its inception in 1989, curating several group shows including Art & Technology (1994). She also co-curated Myths from Cyberspace (1996/97) with Carolyn Bell Farrell, a two-part exhibition at the Koffler Centre in Toronto.
Selected exhibitions are featured on the Exhibitions pages.
“I have tried to establish a natural dialogue between landscape and our human constructions, both psychological and physical. In these works I want to explore the relationship between the pieces themselves and their surrounding context. In doing so, this makes the area of installation actually part of the installation itself.
The refuse of nature has always interested me. I came across a cylindrical piece of bark, as well as a large pinecone. I casted them in bronze to imbue them with my sensibility of aesthetics. This shows the dichotomy between what nature created and human reflections of nature. Bronze is a fascinating material because it transforms and is charged with a seemingly sacred energy. The mythical aspects to bronze (alchemy) and seeds (representing life and rebirth) add a visceral aura to the installation.”