ALEX CLOSE

(b. 1993) is an abstract painter from Tkaronto (Toronto) Canada with Macedonian heritage who currently is not based in a single city but moves to different places as she learns about her own family history, different ways of perceiving image-saturated environments around the world, and the role of painting in a broader ecosystem of pluralist art practices. Her work and her mobility is influenced by her projects and fieldwork both in Canada and internationally, including her work in an artist collective with colleagues from New Zealand/Iraq, Serbia, North Macedonia, Iran/Malta, and the USA/Mexico which challenges her to shift her perspective, to learn, and to trust. She works mostly in acrylic painting and is currently experimenting with modular paintings, illusions and the limits of abstraction, and how we perceive space in a contemporary context. Alex earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from OCAD University in 2015, followed by a Master of Fine Art Practice (MLitt) from the Glasgow School of Art in 2017, and a Master of Design Research (MDes) from Carleton University in 2020 where she researched collaboration between artists, designers, and engineers in virtual environments.