In this body of work, Mireau draws inspiration from roots to rebar, blurring the edges between the industrial and the natural.
Growing up in Saskatchewan, Mireau developed a fascination with abandoned broken farm machinery. Weed-buried wagon wheels, splintered wooden axles, and often unidentifiable objects with finely crafted parts led to his imaginings of their former functions and lives. This captivation is evident in Mireau’s early sculptures.
Signs of Life builds on the earthy themes of his early works and moves beyond. Constructed primarily of wood and metal, and through careful use of material, gravity, scale and texture, these works offer new perspectives on the tension between the manufactured and the organic, the terrestrial and the celestial.
This solo exhibition of Mireau’s work at the Art Gallery of Peterborough was supported by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council.