Co.Lab Gallery presents

boy Roland’s

DON’T FORGET TO DIE

FRIDAY OCTOBER 7TH, 2022 6-10PM

EXHIBTION CLOSES OCTOBER 27TH

Artist boy Roland has a unique ability to explore and comment on the binary planes of life and death. In this collection, his works shine a light into the figurative ‘black hole’ that is our understanding of death. Don’t Forget to Die is boy Roland’s reflection on the importance of death in a process of rebirth. 

Don’t Forget to Die implores viewers to remember to live. As mortal beings, we deny any need to remember to die; the world around us reminds us constantly that we don’t have a choice. This exhibition highlights the choice we all share to live and exist more deeply. 

The theme and title of this exhibition also carries another meaning, one of personal reconciliation and revisitation. In 2012, the artist faced a serious illness that left him comatose. His recovery since that point has been slow and ongoing:

“Before I ‘died’, I finished art school–and then I lost it all. I had lost my ability to create work both through physical and mental disability/brain damage. I am still rebuilding myself. This show is an attempt to resuscitate my artist self: am I still alive?

I found it in the process. Not the end result but the process is where I live. The moments between the beginning and end, not the ones about achievement. That’s where I am.”

Over time, boy Roland moved from physical work such as sculpture and painting to digital processes, mostly because of his own need to accommodate capitalism. He currently works as a tattoo artist and as a freelance, multi-disciplinary artist.

This collection is a coming back to himself as he tries to find a process in which to express a tiny part of himself that feels meaningful again. To not just extract ideas from others minds in order to create what is ideal for them, but to do it for himself. 

Don’t Forget to Die presents a unique assemblage of techniques, beginning with acrylic on wood, then laying digital art transfers a top with hand embellishments added. This technique was learned through the guidance of his partner Vicki Nerino.

The visual result of the work has a haze to it, which echoes the first step in tattooing using a stencil application. This shadowy film also knocks towards nostalgia which fuels his work.

What’s a boy Roland?

Raised on the banks of Lake Superior, boy Roland's art can be seen on the walls of Port Arthur, in the pages of the Walleye, and people’s skin around the world.

Under the influence of pop culture, contemporary art, and nostalgia, boy Roland has been working as an artist since graduating from Lakehead University. Known for his murals in Thunder Bay with Die Active Art Collective, he’s continued painting murals across the province. Under the guidance and mentorship of Fenton Gilbert and the crew at Underground Ink, boy Roland officially joined the tattoo industry in 2017. In 2021, he co-founded Finders Keepers Tattoo with his partner, Vicki Nerino.

He really likes dill pickles, rhubarb pie and believes pineapple belongs on pizza. 

images from opening night:

Photos by Sarah McPherson