March 26 – April 13, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 29, 2 – 5 pm
Demonstrations: Sunday, April 6, 1 – 3 pm
Artist Talks: Sunday, April 13, 2 pm
PAPER STORIES joins together three contemporary artists—Dominique Prévost, Susan Ruptash and Heejung Shin—who share a mutual respect and love of paper. Although each artist expresses this in different ways, they share common themes of repetition, rhythm and poetry. Through a restrained palette, the works will celebrate the importance of light, and invite viewers to pay attention to details of texture, colour and movement.
All three artists work in a variety of traditional Japanese heritage washi and Korean Hanji paper– both renowned for their exquisite texture and fibres, embedded in a deep history of careful craft.
Paper Stories at Propeller Art Gallery – ARTORONTO (Kaya Meziane, 04/09/25)
Dominique Prévost
Dominique Prévost was born in Québec City and now resides in Oakville. A full-time artist, she has been showing extensively in the GTA since the early 80s and her work can be found in many collections here and abroad. Recipient of multiple awards; among others three times for Best Watercolour Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair; she is also involved with many art associations: She is a Board Member of the Burlington Fine Arts Association, a Member of the Ontario Society of Artists and a Member of Propeller Art Gallery. Dominique considers all these affiliations to be her families; supportive communities where creativity strives, knowledge is shared and from which new worlds open up!
Dominique’s artworks are atmospheric abstracted assemblages inspired by nature. They are explorations of materiality that dance between the ephemeral and the permanent. Showcasing changing light, organic patterns, and stylized structures, each artwork is composed of multiple painted and manipulated papers.
Susan Ruptash
Susan Ruptash is a Toronto washi artist who works in a variety of paper arts including explorations of handmade heritage washi, building on a lifelong fascination with the properties and possibilities of paper. Susan’s career as an architect has informed her explorations of structure, form, materiality and process. Susan is a member of the Ontario Society of Artists, the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild and Open Studio. Susan’s work often includes embedded efforts that may not be readily apparent on viewing but contribute to the finished piece through curiosity and respect for the materials. For this reason, many of her works appear minimalist at first glance.
Heejung Shin
Heejung Shin is a multidisciplinary artist from Korea whose work spans installation, drawing, and painting. Her practice investigates identity, the fragility of the human body, and the law of impermanence, focusing on the cultural and social displacement that leads to the loss of language, culture, and self. Using Hanji, traditional Korean mulberry paper, she creates layered collages and immersive installations that embody themes of resilience and transformation.
Heejung holds an Honours degree in Fine Arts Studio Practice with an Intensive Studio Specialization from the University of Waterloo. Her achievements include recent project funding from the Ontario Arts Council and awards such as the Printing Special Award, Helen L. Cross Memorial Scholarship, and Vern Hacking Award. She has exhibited at the Gang-Won Contemporary Art Group Exhibition at Gangneung Museum of Art in Korea and was featured in Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, showcasing her growing presence in the art world.
