Cal Lane: Industrial Intimacies

For just over two decades, Cal Lane has transfigured banal, utilitarian objects into artistic wonders that continually delight and inspire audiences. In her most recognizable pieces, Lane uses an oxyacetylene cutting torch and a plasma cutter to carve intricate designs into steel. In other artworks, Lane uses materials ranging from soil to sandpaper to tires, creating juxtapositions between opposites: utilitarian and aesthetic, industrial and domestic, masculine and feminine. Undoubtedly, Lane's previous career paths in hairdressing and welding help to inform her artistic practice and the nuanced ways she plays with societal norms and expectations. As you make your way through the exhibition, look beyond the surface of objects and see what meanings and connections you bring to each work. Industrial Intimacies at Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square, is the first retrospective exhibition of Lane's work in Southwestern Ontario. 

- Karly Boileau, Senior Curator

Cal Lane is an internationally acclaimed sculptor known for turning ordinary objects into lacy artworks. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and a Master degree in Fine Arts in sculpture from State University of New York. To date, her pieces stand alone in capturing a delicacy and intricacy quite apart from her closest contemporaries. Lane’s tapestries, cut into harsh and often preternaturally large steel and iron structures, are sensual, alluring and deeply effeminate. Having spent much of her early life as a hairdresser in her mother’s salon in Vancouver Island, Lane soon became interested in exploring gender roles and conceptual art. Lane’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally including Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France and the USA.