Diane Farris Gallery is pleased to announce its ninth solo exhibition of paintings by Chris Woods.

The core theme in Woods' work - the subtle effects of consumerism on the individual as a reflection of its effect on society as a whole - has held to his main thesis: to paint himself and his friends throughout their lives in the setting of Popular Culture. Infused with wry wit, parody and mysticism, Woods' paintings have matured in technical skill as we have watched him and his friends age in his paintings. Having addressed teenage angst and the "religion" of fast food and corporate consumerism, Woods now directs his focus on the culture of the automobile.

Entitled The Magic Hour: Part I, this series of paintings addresses our blind love of consumerism and our desire to attain the unreachable dreams and wishes that advertising offers. "The Magic Hour" is a term used by photographers to describe the glowing, soft light seen just after the sun has set. This time of day is a universal backdrop for car ads. The light gives the car and the landscape a warm, welcoming, magic look.

The paintings contain symbols of war and conflict such as swords, bows and arrows, military generals ("General Motors") and armored knights. They personify the 'war' we fight with, and in, cars every day.

Woods has become something of a heroic figure for the anti-corporate critics and activists who try to disrupt corporate dominance. His understanding is that advertising and corporate branding are about mythmaking and making things look natural or better than they really are. His work has been featured and written about in numerous major magazines including Maclean's, Harper's, Saturday Night, Azure and Geist. In January 2000, Woods was featured in Macleans magazine's "Faces of the Future" issue as one of 100 Canadians to watch. Most recently, his paintings appear in the feature documentary film "The Corporation" and on the Barenaked Ladies latest CD "Everything to everyone".

In February 2000, Woods took part in an hour-long conversation with Generation X author Douglas Coupland on the CPAC television program Doubletake. A video of this conversation will be screened during the run of the exhibition, as well as a 22-minute video on the making of "Billboard" by filmmaker Bob Fugger. "Billboard" documents the progress of the project in its entirety.

Born in New Brunswick (1970), Woods has lived in Chilliwack since childhood. The friends of his youth are still his friends and the subjects in his paintings. The Diane Farris Gallery has represented him since 1991.