INFERNO – Keys of Condolence

Keys of Condolence (left panel of triptych)
© 2024 Leslie Hossack

“Keys of Condolence” is a work from Leslie Hossack’s Smoke Collection, part of her ongoing series INFERNO.

In 2024, the worst wildfire in the history of Jasper National Park destroyed about 33,000 hectares of wilderness and approximately one third of the structures in the town of Jasper. This triptych was created in response to the tragedy. It consists of a total of 408 keys and tags (136 per panel). Each tag has a handwritten label noting the address of a Jasper building initially listed as destroyed by the fire.

KEYS OF CONDOLENCE (left panel).
Brass, steel, paper, archival ink, acrylic.
46 x 39 in.
Custom white lacquer wood frame.
2024.
Edition of 1.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit
lesliehossack.ca
deMontignyContemporary.com

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

INFERNO – Behind Bold Colours

BEHIND BOLD COLOURS
© 2025 Leslie Hossack

“Behind Bold Colours” is a work from Leslie Hossack’s Smoke Collection, part of her ongoing series INFERNO.

Air quality is impacted by PM2.5 particles which are a consequence of wildfires and fossil fuel burning. These are the smallest particles, and they are one of the most dangerous pollutants in the air. The World Health Organization uses seven colours to communicate the air quality risk associated with concentrations of PM2.5.

BLUE (meets World Health Organization PM2.5 guideline).
GREEN (exceeds guideline by 1 to 2 times).
YELLOW (exceeds guideline by 2 to 3 times).
ORANGE (exceeds guideline by 3 to 5 times).
RED (exceeds guideline by 5 to 7 times).
PURPLE (exceeds guideline by 7 to 10 times).
MAROON (exceeds guideline by over 10 times).

Behind bold colours, dark cataclysms lurk.

UV pigment ink on acrylic.
21.5 x 21.5 in. framed.
Solid wood custom frame.
2025.
Edition of 3.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit
lesliehossack.ca
deMontignyContemporary.com

ABOUT Leslie Hossack

INFERNO – Wildfire

08 Wildfire (Diagonal View) Documentation Photo by Leslie Hosack OK

“Wildfire” is a three-dimensional piece in Leslie Hossack’s Earth, Air, Fire and Water Collection, part of her new series INFERNO.

Consisting of both sculptures and two-dimensional works, INFERNO exposes objectively measurable aspects of climate change such as unprecedented wildfires, disappearing glaciers, melting polar ice, hazardous air quality, scorching temperatures and rising sea levels. These abstract works are accurate representations of scientific records.

“Each one of my constructions is inspired by recent events and informed by current research. INFERNO is data driven. Statistics, graphs and other visual representations of our world have always fascinated me. In the summer of 2023, as hazardous smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed cities across the nation and around the world, I felt compelled to respond through my art. When art and science work together, better solutions will be found sooner. I hope this collection Earth, Air, Fire and Water will cause us to carefully consider the catastrophic calamities related to climate change.”

“Wildfire” is fabricated from 25 separate pieces, each of a different height. These represent the area burned by wildfires in Canada during the worst 25 years of the last 40, as of 2023. The highest bar represents 2023, when wildfires burned more than double the area of any year since 1983.

Acrylic Sculpture
15 ¼ x 5 x 5 in.

To view more work by Leslie Hossack, please visit lesliehossack.ca

ABOUT Leslie Hossack