Featuring the drawing installations of Montreal-based artists Jing Yuan Huang and Jerry Ropson, Modern Fuel’s newest exhibition, Wind from the East, offers varying interpretations on what it means to come from the East, and whether or not geographical directions have any bearing on today’s globalized art practice.

Allowing their work to be influenced by the space they are in, Ropson and Huang take differing approaches in displaying their artwork, from variation in scale to drawing directly on the wall. Narrative elements are prominent in both artists’ works which share a foundation in sketching and drawing.

Ropson’s installations reveal a strong bond to his small-town beginnings on the Canadian East Coast. His work examines how rural identity is transformed within transient and urban settings and strives to create a sense of place no matter how displaced. Huang’s work synthesizes two traditions, Eastern and Western, counter-balancing historical and spiritual weight with playfulness, refusing origins through a process of transmigration.

To complement this exhibition, on the night of the opening reception (March 7th) from 11pm to 7am, there will be an improvisational concert based on South-Asian traditions, performed by the Toronto-based artist, Debashis Sinha. Tea will be served.