Art walks

Created for the Harbour View residential towers in Toronto’s Concord CityPlace, Adrian Göllner’s View Screens bridges the gap between art and design. Positioned to partially obscure the entrances to garage driveways, these low-relief steel screens may look like simple latticework fences upon first glance, but they conceal a deeper meaning in their forms. Taking inspiration from the name of the condo complex, Harbour View, and the project’s intention of both enhancing and shading that scene, Göllner produced his unique, interlocking pattern by transcribing the word “VIEW” in Morse Code. View Screens offer an excellent example of how public art commissions can be seamlessly integrated into urban development programs.

In 1987, Göllner left his hometown of Ottawa to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Queen’s University. Choosing initially to specialize in sculpture (aluminum and bronze), his practice evolved over the years to include drawing and film. Conceptual in nature, Göllner’s works often challenge the viewer’s perception, heightening their sense of self and their surroundings by combining elements of abstraction, modernism, and design.

Most recently, Göllner has been experimenting with the transposition of sound, time, and motion into other forms. Wishing to capture the essence of sadness in music or the powerful blast from an explosion might seem like an impossible pursuit, but Göllner believes that his works “emanate an undeniable aspect of the real, one that lends them a reliquary-like presence.”

Today, Göllner is an active member of and passionate advocate for Ottawa’s arts community. He has sat on numerous boards of local galleries and has received many commissions for public art in the city. Göllner’s works have been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout North America, Europe, and New Zealand. He has won dozens of grants and his pieces are held within prominent collections across Canada.