Christopher William Gill was born on July 5,1968 and is a Canadian visual artist known for his wide-ranging works in sculpture, painting, photography, video and installation art.
17 Facts About Will Gill
1.
2.
Will Gill was longlisted for the Sobey Art Award, Canada's preeminent contemporary art award, in 2004,2006 and 2023.
3.
Will Gill has a particular fascination with large scale works of art.
4.
In 2001, Will Gill attended the prestigious Vermont Studio Center where he was an artist-in-residence in sculpture.
5.
Traditionally a lighthouse's purpose is to warn of nature's destructive force - to protect people from danger; Will Gill's lighthouse is intended to do the opposite.
6.
Will Gill's paintings have been exhibited locally, as well as nationally and internationally.
7.
In recent years, Will Gill has expanded his artistic scope by adding performance, video, and photography to his repertoire.
8.
He's often inspired by his adopted home of Newfoundland: his 2009 installation Bareneed is a replica of an old-fashioned bathtub that Will Gill saw on the ocean floor while sea-kayaking in the coastal community of Bareneed.
9.
Will Gill then captured the eerie scene in series of photographs.
10.
In 2013, Peter Wilkins and Will Gill were officially selected by curator Massimiliano Gioni to exhibit at an official Collateral Event of the 55th Venice Biennale.
11.
Will Gill worked with master boatbuilder Jerome Canning on the piece, which was inspired by the original Black Island Punt crafted by fisherman John Dorey in Notre Dame Bay in the 1950s.
12.
Will Gill's artwork is featured in the Newfoundland Room at Canada House, Canada's high commission in London, England, which was officially reopened in early 2015 after an extensive renovation.
13.
Will Gill's acrylic painting Ocean was recreated as a floor covering.
14.
In 2017 Will Gill participated in the Fogo Island Arts residency program, spending one month at the remote site producing a new body of work called "From the Lion's Den", incorporating sculpture, mixed-media textiles and photography.
15.
Will Gill participated in the Bonavista Biennale once more, in 2021, offering an installation piece entitled "Camper", in which a truck and camper, painted with retroreflective glass beads, was parked beside the road where it would glow in the headlights of passing cars.
16.
In 2023, Will Gill was again nominated for a Sobey Art Award, sharing representation of the Atlantic Canada region on the national longlist, and was awarded the inaugural Theodore Prize by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, which celebrates the professional accomplishments of an Atlantic Canadian visual artist.
17.
Will Gill's work is represented in private and public collections in Canada and internationally.