The Human Pool: Michael Lewis
September 11 - October 17, 2009

The Human Pool is a series of 10 large-scale painting by Toronto artist Michael Lewis. The works explore scientific motifs that recur in contemporary culture, such as experimental human trials, containment sites, and, as the name suggests, represent the scientific use of individual human bodies as part of a "unified flesh" on whcih to experiment.

Lewis describes his paintings as set in a remote scientific compound composed of separate laboratory buildings, connected by glass enclosed walkways and an intricate patterning of metal pipes. The connecting narrative and the large proportions of each work create a cinematic feel that invites the viewer to reflect on the power and visceral nature of scientific realities not commonly found in an art gallery setting.