McClure Gallery goes into visual overload

But judging from some of the dark, Goth-inspired drawings confronting the viewer in this four-artist show, the conventional horror motif lurks not far away.

True to the title's mandate, almost every inch of wall space is crowded — make that crammed — with intricate drawings, doodles and other visual treats, creating what is arguably one of the most striking exhibitions yet mounted at the McClure Gallery.

Guest-curated by Concordia painting teacher Eric Simon, Horror Vacui brings together the works of Simon Bossé, Kristin Eiriksdottir, Jim Holyoak and Patrick McEown, all of whom contribute delightfully disturbing elements to this smorgasbord of whimsy and despair. The sum of these parts, as the accompanying literature gleefully announces, is a case of "visual overload" that "emerges from the darker, less traveled regions of the mind."

Technically, the drawings are strong and dynamic, but what is perhaps most impressive of all about this visually stunning show is that the vast majority of it was pulled off without the use of colour. There are small splashes here and there of comic-book primary colours, but it is kept to a bare minimal. This is instead a black-and-white world where thousands of images — some tiny and barely noticeable, others dominating entire walls — confront the viewer in a loud cacophony of voices that speak of happiness, of sadness, and yes, of horror. • 'Horror Vacui', featuring the work of Simon Bossé, Kristin Eiriksdottir, Jim Holyoak, and Patrick McEown, remains at the McClure Gallery of the Visual Arts Centre, 350 Victoria Ave., through Feb. 27. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info: 514-488-9558.