The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is dedicated to supporting the development of emerging artists in Durham Region. Since 2001, a biannual exhibition introduces the community to emerging artists who were both born and raised or currently reside in the Durham Region, and provides them with the opportunity for recognition by their regional gallery and advancement in their careers. Interestingly, when bringing together three very different artists who share only a geographic affinity, an artistic discourse begins to take shape. Moriarity, Berube and Latimer represent a wide range of artistic practice: Moriarity is a painter, Berube a photographer, and Latimer an experimental film artist.
Marshall McLuhan believed that ‘the medium is the message’- that is to say that the medium is just as important to study as the content, since the characteristics of a medium can greatly affect the understanding of the message it carries. This is the case for all three artists whose chosen devices carry as much weight as the message itself. Through their practice, they strive to merge realities to create something new, whether through a screen, lens or frame.
While Moriarty, Berube and Latimer are influenced by technical devices (internet, cameras, film equipment), each of them, in the end, returns to traditional practice: painting, the dark room, and antiquated film equipment. Their works come together by way of a series of viewfinders – Moriarity uses the internet as an onlooker, Berube uses the camera lens as a bystander, and Latimer uses film equipment to comment on the evolution of technology. In their attempts to make connections with the world and technology, the emphasis is placed on their chosen mediums to bring meaning and understanding to their works.