'The image of you': Zachari Logan finds international success with imaginative, self-reflective art
From Milan to NYC, Zachari Logan’s distinctive work demands attention
Zachari Logan's Green Man 2 seems to be growing from the white walls of his spacious University of Regina studio — a garden and a man, delicately expressed with a quality that is both magic and real.
A cluster of clippings adorn a wall in his studio, creating a halo of inspiration around its door. Among them are nudes, paintings of lovers, a Giuseppe Arcimboldo portrait and a giant What Would Joni Do? poster (a nod to Logan's hometown, Saskatoon, and love of Joni Mitchell).
The piece is a new rendition of Green Man, which Logan created for an exhibition in Vienna, Austria. It sold before an eager Toronto couple could snatch it up at one of Logan's shows, so they commissioned the multi-media visual artist to do another version.
As Logan chats, he masterfully commands a piece of soft, lime green chalk pastel into a curled leaf, part of the male figure's thigh.
"I'm not a photocopier so to try to work with the same themes," he said. "It's a great challenge."
International success
It's not just Canadians who are hungry for Logan's work.
He just wrapped a solo exhibition, Spaces Between, in London, England. He's also part of a group show called Ce N'est Pas Une Fleur in Chicago. Since 2016, Logan's work has been seen in Verona, Vienna, Milan, Paris, NYC, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax, Regina and Montreal.
Currently, people in Saskatoon can see his show with celebrated New York painter Ross Bleckner, titled The Shadow Of The Sun at the College/Kenderdine Galleries.
Body of work focuses on self-reflection, nature
Logan's identity has been a catalyst for much of his work throughout the years. He attributes this to his experience growing up as a queer person in Saskatchewan in the 1990s.
"I actually came out quite early — I was like 17 or 18 — in high school. I wouldn't say I got bullied but I certainly got called several slurs and things," he said.
"As soon as I was sort of honest with myself and came out, it sort of took a bit of the power away. Like they just stopped saying it, because it was like, yeah, OK. So I think I carried that perspective, or that learning, into the content of my work."
Logan said that as he reflects on his body of work, he sees a desire to challenge male representation in art.
"Just to confront certain notions of what masculinity is and rigid notions of conformity and a lot of that is, or had been in the past, engendered by art historical nodes of representation, so I sort of wanted to just turn that on its head and think about the body from a queer lens, which his historically not what we get to see a lot of," he said.
"When you actually put yourself into that role, things change and considerations on how you present the body, change . Because it's so much more personal. It's the image of you, right."
No time to sleep
Today Logan balances teaching at the Unviersity of Regina with a schedule that includes a steady stream of projects, speaking engagements, art shows and meetings. He doesn't get much sleep.
"I don't have a lot of time to think about one project to the next. I'm sort of working in the moment and meeting deadlines," he said. "I would like to spend some time in reflection."
Last summer Logan was the artist in residence at the Tom Thomson Shack on the site of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. He also did a show in Milan at the Studio Museo Francesco Messina. One of his drawings, from a show at the Textile Museum of Canada, was featured on the set of a play, How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, starring Marisa Tomei at NYC's Lincoln Centre.
Logan attributes his success to a strong work ethic and passion.
"I deeply love what I do," he said. "Feeling blessed that I get to work on all of these things."
Logan has shows coming up in 2019 that span Verona, New York City, Atlanta and Vienna. He was one of 40 CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 finalists in 2016.
Do you know someone in Saskatchewan who deserves to be celebrated for their exceptional work? Nominate them (or yourself) today.