Art House

January 16, 2013

With the new year begins a new exhibition season. Yesterday was an installation day at the Art Gallery of Peterborough (AGP). A solo show of my latest drawings will open this Saturday, January 19th. Pictured below are a few shots of me putting up some charcoal drawing inspired by 60′s European cinema.

The show will open with a presentation titled Synchronicities: Art & Cinema. With this illustrated talk, I’ll survey artists who are inspired by film and who in-turn inspire me with their work: John Abrams, Peter Doig, Mathieu Dufois, Douglas Gordon, Christian Marclay, Sheena Mcrae and Cindy Sherman

Where: Art Gallery of Peterborough, Peterborough, Ontario

When: Saturday, January 19th, 1:00 p.m.

Finishing Touches

The shows at the AGP will continue until March 17th, 2013. Hope to see you in Peterborough…

 

 

Three Decades Ago

January 2, 2013

Happy 2013!

Thirty years ago today Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was released as a hit single. Three decades later, the revolutionary pop song has a lasting legacy. To mark the occasion, I gave Thriller a spin on the old turntable. Sounded great. Looked good too.

It’s rare to see rhythmic patterns on spinning vinyl–Billie Jean’s got it. The song’s tight beat creates a mesmerizing swirl… groovy! Check it out by clicking the image:

Billie Jean

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What are some of your favourite MJ tracks?

Unravelling the Cuckoo’s Nest

December 14, 2012

2012 was all about capturing the spirit of ’62. Much of my studio production centred around looking back at the cultural landscape of the early sixties. This year marked the half century of many landmark films and books. One of those classics was Ken Kesey’s debut, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Kesey’s masterpiece inspired the Academy Award winning movie starring Jack Nicholson.

I’ve seen the film many times. I watched it again last week and noticed things I hadn’t before. For instance, in one scene Nicholson’s character, McMurphy, pretends to cheer-on a World Series baseball game on the tube. The TV’s off. There’s no ball game. But his spirited enthusiasm peaks the curiosity of patients in the psychiatric institution. One by one, they come out to the lounge to see what the fuss is about. Below is a screen shot from this moment. Notice the periodicals on the magazine rack.

What’s all the racket? What’s on the magazine rack?       

After a little research, it turns out that the Life magazine pictured on the top shelf came out on March 29, 1963.

March 29, 1963 LIFE magazine

…and the plot thickens. The National Geographic cover peeking over the bottom shelf is from February 1961.

National Geographic cover from February 1961 

 

Willy in Whitby

December 7, 2012

Whitby’s connection to the international Dada movement became very palpable today. Dada was an international avant-guard art and cultural movement formed during and following the First World War. One of its practitioners, Willy Fick, was born in Germany in the late nineteenth century and was an instrumental figure of the Cologne Dada scene of the inter-war period. Fick spent his latter years in Whitby, and died here in Canada’s centennial year.

Willy and Me

Thanks to the guidance and insights of Angie Littlefield (writer, curator, educator), I had a rare glimpse into Fick’s world and the works of his contemporaries this morning. This splendid collection of the Cologne Dada artists was gifted to the Art Gallery of Ontario by Littlefield and her brother. The rare works are kept in the prints and drawings section of the AGO’s permanent collection. The solander boxes house copious vintage archives, pen and ink drawings, mixed media works, source material, etc. It was like peering into another world, through another’s eyes. A project is currently underway to bring Willy’s worldview to the public eye. Stay tuned–the best is yet to come…

One of my faves–”Death in the Kitchen”, ink on paper

“X” Marks the Spot

November 3, 2012

Earlier this year, Parks Canada designated the grounds of Intrepid Park on the Whitby/Oshawa border as nationally significant. This was the war-time site of the STS #103, commonly known as Camp X. The espionage training camp was just one of Durham Region’s involvement with the war effort. Others included DIL (Defence Industry Limited), Elementary Flying Training School (#20 EFTS) at Oshawa airport and Bowmanville’s Camp 30, German officer’s POW internment camp.

These sites enriched the area with a colourful array of stories and key players. Almost seventy years ago, Ian Fleming trained at Camp X. His real-life experiences on the shores of Lake Ontario informed his James Bond fictions. 2012 marks the half century debut of 007 in the silver screen.

In addition to the dynamic narratives, the area became a rich repository of war-time artefacts. I’m delighted to be involved with an exhibition showcasing material culture from Camp 30, DIL, EFTS #20, and of course, Camp X.

Drop by the Regional Municipality of Durham Headquarters this Thursday, November 8th at 2pm to see what’s beyond the “Top Secret” wrapping… Oh, what can it be?

Historian Lynn Philip Hodgson & OleX marks the spot

Beating ’round the bush

October 29, 2012

Today’s the Art Toronto exposition’s  final day at the Metro Convention Centre. Trade shows like this one are a terrific way of getting a concentrated dose of contemporary and historical art participating in the marketplace. The lights are high-key, the paintings are shiny and the imagery is scintillating. Chances are, however, you’ll find the real gems behind the glitz.

I found the people making the sales the most memorable part of the show. Usually they were artists or cultural workers who work for galleries as their “bread-and-butter”. Sales pitch aside, I’d ask about their personal work or their opinion on contemporary art. Often times, their stories were more captivating than the art they were selling. One associate turned out to be a tattooist/technologist from Bejing. Another, incorporated fashion design with biology.

It’s amazing the narratives you’ll find stepping outside the margins of commerce.

As for the visual art… curiously, lots of images depicting Venetian scenarios. Loads of roundels and circular forms. Full circle.

If you attended Art Toronto 2012, post a comment on your thoughts… I always love to hear your views!

Behind the Scenes

October 20, 2012

Every gallery show has a change-over week. This five-day window just passed at Station Gallery with the new exhibition called “Reading the Image” opening today.

I really enjoy these high-energy installation weeks. Everything comes together at once. Shows planned two to three years earlier materialize before your eyes. Ideas become tangible. Simple concepts transform into richly layered visual experiences. It’s a chance to see how artists’ studio production interact with gallery architecture and, in the case of “Reading the Image” group show, how individual works and series’ interact with other artworks based on the same theme.

I imagine that the process of arranging an exhibition is similar to a movie editor’s craft. The goal is to tell a story. Every art show courses through its own narrative. For instance, “Reading the Image” tells the story of how artists combine pictures and words, image and text. The six artists in the show approach this strategy in very different ways. Each artist has a unique voice in this exhibition. Their individual voices harmonize in a chorus and resonate throughout the gallery.

As with every third Thursday of the month, we gather to discuss how exhibitions are arranged and to share stories from behind the scenes. Join me at Station Gallery on November 15th at 7pm for the next Curator’s Walk & Talk. In the meantime, leave your comments if you’ve seen the “Reading the Image” or any other recent shows…

“Surfacing” show comes down, “Reading the Image” goes up

 

 

The Art of Miller

October 08, 2012

Two years of longing have passed since Soulpepper premiered Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Their 2010 production was sold-out before I had a chance to get tickets. Luckily, Soulpepper revived this ever-popular American tragedy for the current 2012 season. Lightening does strike twice.

Set in post-war Brooklyn, the play follows a deteriorating travelling salesman and those closest to him. Miller’s Pulizer–winning drama quickly tailspins into entropy, exploring the American Dream and personal fallacies. The lead characters, Willy Loman and Biff Loman, stopped short of eliciting pathos—and what’s tragedy without pathos? Linda Loman and Happy Loman, on the other hand, were the soul of the play. It was during intimate and quiet moments that the production was most sincere, layered and heartfelt.

The stage sets were evocative. The “broken home” design functioned for both domestic space and outdoor places. A stage trap-door functioned as both basement cellar and Willy’s final resting place (sorry for the plot spoiler).  Who knows–maybe Willy Loman will be resurrected on the Soulpepper stage in another couple of years?

Soulpepper Ephemera

Heading to the Headwaters

September 21, 2012

Hours before the much-anticipated Headwaters Arts Festival gala opened yesterday, I had a chance to meditate and absorb the show. I use the word “meditate” advisedly as the show’s venue is at the magnificent SGI Canada, Caledon Centre for Culture and Education, a Buddist retreat.

Olex and Steve Volpe’s paintings

Forty-seven artists and craftspeople entered between 3 to 5 works each. Yesterday’s trip to Alton, Ontario was round-two for myself and co-juror, Russell Brohier. Back in May, Russell and I met to review and short-list the 47 artists featured in the current show. Yesterday’s return to the Headwaters allowed us to adjudicate the exquisitely presented works for the Juror’s Award cash prizes. The show looks outstanding–showcasing the full spectrum of artistic approaches and media. The show and sale continues until October 8…      

http://headwatersartsfestival.com/artists/

Country Comforts

September 17, 2012

The association of solace and reverie with rural Ontario are evocatively captured with Neil Young’s words: “There is a town in north Ontario, With dream comfort memory to spare.” These feelings are particularly heightened in late summer when verdant abundance slowly drifts into autumnal colours.

I had the pleasure yesterday  to drive out to the Kawarthas for a studio visit with Susan Rankin during the annual studio tour in Apsley, Ontario. She shares a glass studio with multi-media artist Brad Copping. It’s the most fascinating aspect to see an artist’s working space, especially when it’s surrounded by bucolic gardens in forest glade. Brad gave the packed studio tour audience a privileged glimpse into the blowing and turning techniques of molten glass. Susan has embarked on a new direction in her glass production with towering forms with crystalline petals and roundels.

It won’t be too long that we’ll get a chance to see them in our midst. Susan Rankin’s Valid Objects of Beauty will open the 2013 exhibition season at Station Gallery on January 11.        

Susan Rankin’s latest glass works