Art lovers looking for a thoughtful and visually engaging exhibition this spring may want to visit James Rottman Fine Art in Toronto, where the gallery’s current exhibition Presence and Absence brings together the work of contemporary artists Jessica Levman and Soheyl Bastami.
Running March 14 through April 11, the exhibition explores themes of perception, memory, and the subtle emotional spaces that exist between what is seen and what is felt. Through painting and sculpture, the two artists approach these ideas from different perspectives, creating a dialogue that invites visitors to reflect on how presence and absence shape human experience.
Two Artists, Two Perspectives
Toronto-based artist Jessica Levman is known for work that explores the human figure through layered textures and atmospheric compositions. Her paintings often feature quiet, contemplative figures that seem to emerge from soft washes of colour and light. Rather than presenting clear narrative scenes, Levman’s work focuses on mood and emotional resonance, allowing viewers to interpret the figures and their surroundings in their own way
The effect is often meditative. The figures appear suspended in time, somewhere between memory and reality, creating a sense of stillness that encourages slow observation.
Soheyl Bastami, originally from Iran and now based in Canada, brings a different but complementary approach to the exhibition. Bastami works across sculpture and painting, often exploring transformation, movement, and the human condition through expressive forms and textured surfaces.
His sculptural pieces carry a strong physical presence, yet many appear to capture a moment of transition or motion, as though the figure or form is evolving before the viewer’s eyes.
A Conversation Between Presence and Form
Together, Levman and Bastami create an exhibition that moves between atmosphere and physicality. Levman’s quiet figurative imagery contrasts with Bastami’s more tactile sculptural work, yet both artists examine the emotional and psychological space between presence and absence.
The exhibition encourages viewers to consider how memory, identity, and experience are expressed through art. Some works invite contemplation through subtle gestures and soft transitions of colour, while others command attention through their physical form and dynamic structure.
This interplay between subtlety and structure gives the exhibition its depth, allowing visitors to experience multiple interpretations as they move through the gallery space.
About the Gallery
Located at 830 St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto, James Rottman Fine Art is known for presenting contemporary Canadian and international artists across a range of mediums including painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The gallery regularly hosts exhibitions that highlight diverse artistic voices while creating opportunities for collectors and the public to engage directly with contemporary art.
Exhibition Details
Presence and Absence
Featuring Jessica Levman and Soheyl Bastami
Dates: March 14 – April 11
Location: James Rottman Fine Art
830 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto
More information about the exhibition and the artists can be found at:
https://www.jamesrottmanfineart.com
