A IS FOR APPLE
Dave Dyment + Roula Partheniou
On view at MKG127 in Toronto from September 13 - October 11, 2025
“We see shapes in context, and our reactions to them depend in large part on that context. If this were an illustration for a story about the ocean, we could variously read the red triangle as the sail of a sailboat, a shark’s fin, a volcanic island rising from the sea, a “red nun” buoy, or the bow of a sinking ship. We feel very differently about the triangle if we see it as a sailboat than we do if we see it as a shark’s fin.”
– Molly Bang, Picture This
A IS FOR APPLE, the first collaborative exhibition by gallery artists Dave Dyment and Roula Partheniou, explores play, perception, pattern recognition, and cognitive geometry, from early childhood development back to early civilization.
Loosely modelled after a Montessori classroom, the exhibition features works that take the form of games, puzzles, books, building blocks, flashcards, and other teaching aids. Elemental units such as numbers, letters, and basic shapes are mobilized as conceptual tools to parse how patterns both structure our thinking and emerge from it.
A IS FOR
Rubber Stamp, 2025
The Makapansgat Pebble
Found stone encased in resin, laser-engraved plexiglass.
Varied edition of 5, 2025.
Butter Blocks
acrylic on wood, set of 5, 2025.
Illustrated fractions as they pertain to a pound of butter or a monochrome set of children’s blocks.
Paper Pools
vintage wooden clipboards, paper. Open varied edition, 2025.
Toast
nineteen 35mm slides, custom holder, slide viewer. Edition of 3, 2025.
A loaf of Wonder bread is documented slice by slice, with each increment reproduced as a 35mm slide. Each slice is housed in order of occurrence, in a custom wood holder. A slide viewer provides an opportunity for scrutiny while also approximating the motions of making toast. This is the second work in the show that alludes to pareidolia: or finding faces, visions and miracles in your toast.
Chalkboard with Apple
acrylic on wood, 2022.
A classroom tool that doubles as a monochrome painting.
Blackboard with Brush
acrylic on wood, 2022.
A classroom tool that doubles as a combined monochrome and colour field painting.
Envelope
acrylic on wood inlays, 2025.
A series of puzzle-like images, composed of painted wood inlays, that break down wholes into parts.
Glass Half
acrylic on wood inlays, 2025
Clock (3:00)
acrylic on wood inlays, 2025.
Varied edition of 8, each a unique time.
Records Backwards
Record Backwards, Artist book and accompanying ink on paper drawing, 2025.
