Sunday, August 15, 2010
One more about Contact
Contact Photography Festival 2010
I can't believe that I never wrote about the exhibitions I saw at this year's Scotiabank (never forget the sponsor!) CONTACT Photography Festival. Truthfully, I only attended two and passed by one often. With a group called, Art Strollers , a group for caregivers and babies who attend workshops, tours, and other cultural events within the city, I went with my little guy to MOCCA to hear a talk about The Mechanical Bride. The exhibition itself - amazing! Curated by Bonnie Rubenstein, the exhibition featured the work of John Armstrong and Paul Collins, Dana Claxton, Kota Ezawa, Jacqueline Hassink, Ryan McGinley, Josephine Meckeper, Matt Siber, Alec Soth, Britta Thie and David LaChapelle (the David LaChapelle).
Needless to say, the talk enhanced the works selected by Rubenstein. The exhibition title comes from Marshall McLuhan's The Mechanical Bride: The Folklore of Industrial Man (1951), which juxtaposed short critical texts with examples from print media. It was meant to highlight and resist the power of advertising, using a strategy of mimicry.
The artists chosen, assert a critical voice by drawing upon and refashioning the rhetorical tactics of advertising (Marchessault, Contact Photography Festival catalogue, page 31). The photographs reflect on the process of persuasion.
As a bonus, LaChapelle also had a massive mural in the courtyard of MOCCA. The work, entitled The Rape of Africa simultaneously references the grand architectural paintings of the Renaissance and the supersized advertising billboards of the present. It is a take on Botticelli's Venus and Mars (c.1484). LaChapelle's contemporary allegory evocatively comments on the effects of war, mining, and mass marketing on Africa. He seamlessly references art history, current events and popular culture. It was spectacular!
On my own (ok, with baby strapped to chest), I dashed over to Galerie Lausberg to catch James Robert Durant's exhibition Tropical Punch. I had rented James some workspace the prior year and had watched him develop his work, taking vintage and current photographs and assembling them into vivid, resin-rich canvases. This collection explores the idea of the purchase-able paradise. I loved it. I felt like I was in a tropical clime, the colours were so fresh and bright, the canvases, both large and small. These fictional photographic landscapes blur the lines between truth, fantasy, and the passing of time. It was a much-appreciated reprieve from the everyday. Gorgeous!
Needless to say, the talk enhanced the works selected by Rubenstein. The exhibition title comes from Marshall McLuhan's The Mechanical Bride: The Folklore of Industrial Man (1951), which juxtaposed short critical texts with examples from print media. It was meant to highlight and resist the power of advertising, using a strategy of mimicry.
The artists chosen, assert a critical voice by drawing upon and refashioning the rhetorical tactics of advertising (Marchessault, Contact Photography Festival catalogue, page 31). The photographs reflect on the process of persuasion.
On my own (ok, with baby strapped to chest), I dashed over to Galerie Lausberg to catch James Robert Durant's exhibition Tropical Punch. I had rented James some workspace the prior year and had watched him develop his work, taking vintage and current photographs and assembling them into vivid, resin-rich canvases. This collection explores the idea of the purchase-able paradise. I loved it. I felt like I was in a tropical clime, the colours were so fresh and bright, the canvases, both large and small. These fictional photographic landscapes blur the lines between truth, fantasy, and the passing of time. It was a much-appreciated reprieve from the everyday. Gorgeous!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Projects: Port Credit closes tomorrow
Mississauga is a challenging place for hosting contemporary art. With a handful of small commercial galleries, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, Blackwood Gallery at UTM and Laidlaw Hall at the Living Arts Centre, the scene is limited. In fact, dare I say, there really is no scene in Mississauga. Unfortunately. Since I grew up in Mississauga, I've seen the city grow and grow and grow, but the cultural scene has remained virtually stagnant. I'd be happy to engage in an argument about it, in fact!
Until now.
Christof Migone, Director/Curator of Blackwood Gallery conceived The Projects: PORT CREDIT as an off-site exhibition highlighting the construction and possibly even the cultural boom of Port Credit (in my opinion, the most picturesque and dynamic area in the City of Mississauga). This year, 10 artists (including, Claudio Ghirardo, Cheryl Rondeau, Gwen MacGregor and Peter Flemming) were invited to create their reflections of a changing city. The artists explored public transit, bicycle routes, public sculpture, graffiti and the act of commemoration.
Set in a condo building's sales office, the exhibition itself on a whole could have been better executed. Arriving at the office, I wasn't sure if I was in the right place as in fact, there were sales agents on site presenting plans to prospective buyers who also did not know about the intervention. Perhaps this unobtrusive intervention and its subtlety is what makes the exhibition itself successful.
My favourite work by Mississauga resident, Sonja Hidas was titled Large Items. Sonja was commenting on the fact that the City of Mississauga does not have a public art policy in place. By taking used appliances and using them as a canvas for text-based interventions that meditate on domestic life and essentially look at the issue of public art within the cultural development of Mississauga. The items were place in a parking space on the private property of this condo office. Sonja commented that it is often that we look at discarded items that are placed at the end of people's driveways. These ARE the public sculptures of Mississauga. Sonja quietly, but effectively comments on Mississauga's missing cultural link.
Bring it on! As a cultural stakeholder of Mississauga, I welcome more and more contemporary art and installations within this city!
PS - I saw the exhibition on Sunday, June 27th. On Tuesday, June 29th, Sonja Hidas' Large Items were reported missing and haven't been seen since. I think this is Mississauga's first cultural crime! Will these art thief's be caught?
Until now.
Christof Migone, Director/Curator of Blackwood Gallery conceived The Projects: PORT CREDIT as an off-site exhibition highlighting the construction and possibly even the cultural boom of Port Credit (in my opinion, the most picturesque and dynamic area in the City of Mississauga). This year, 10 artists (including, Claudio Ghirardo, Cheryl Rondeau, Gwen MacGregor and Peter Flemming) were invited to create their reflections of a changing city. The artists explored public transit, bicycle routes, public sculpture, graffiti and the act of commemoration.
Set in a condo building's sales office, the exhibition itself on a whole could have been better executed. Arriving at the office, I wasn't sure if I was in the right place as in fact, there were sales agents on site presenting plans to prospective buyers who also did not know about the intervention. Perhaps this unobtrusive intervention and its subtlety is what makes the exhibition itself successful.
My favourite work by Mississauga resident, Sonja Hidas was titled Large Items. Sonja was commenting on the fact that the City of Mississauga does not have a public art policy in place. By taking used appliances and using them as a canvas for text-based interventions that meditate on domestic life and essentially look at the issue of public art within the cultural development of Mississauga. The items were place in a parking space on the private property of this condo office. Sonja commented that it is often that we look at discarded items that are placed at the end of people's driveways. These ARE the public sculptures of Mississauga. Sonja quietly, but effectively comments on Mississauga's missing cultural link.
Bring it on! As a cultural stakeholder of Mississauga, I welcome more and more contemporary art and installations within this city!
PS - I saw the exhibition on Sunday, June 27th. On Tuesday, June 29th, Sonja Hidas' Large Items were reported missing and haven't been seen since. I think this is Mississauga's first cultural crime! Will these art thief's be caught?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition - the dash tour!
We had a chance to check out this year's Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition on Saturday. Mostly, I wanted to visit and say hello to my friends. I also wanted to check out and hopefully buy something. As if our little man was going to let us do that! With baby and grandpa in tow, a casual stroll through the stalls it was not. The heat did not help as well!
Smaller this year and frankly the same as year's past. I want to go because I feel I'll miss out, but once I'm there, I feel a bit 'meh'! I wish I could have checked out the programming that was on offer, that would have been terrific. I never read or heard if that was successful or not.
All in all, it was a great social! And, I managed to drink a delicious Americano from Starbucks! I was so happy to have a quick catch up with my wonderfully talented friends: Nicole Kibath, Jenny Kuri, Tara Gilchrist, and Kal Mansur.
Once our sweet boy fell asleep for a brief nap, we could relax and in fact, were able to buy two small prints from Jacob Rolfe who won an honourable mention in Printmaking! The water-based inks produced such rich colours! I'm excited to have such a talented artist added to our small art collection.
Smaller this year and frankly the same as year's past. I want to go because I feel I'll miss out, but once I'm there, I feel a bit 'meh'! I wish I could have checked out the programming that was on offer, that would have been terrific. I never read or heard if that was successful or not.
All in all, it was a great social! And, I managed to drink a delicious Americano from Starbucks! I was so happy to have a quick catch up with my wonderfully talented friends: Nicole Kibath, Jenny Kuri, Tara Gilchrist, and Kal Mansur.
Once our sweet boy fell asleep for a brief nap, we could relax and in fact, were able to buy two small prints from Jacob Rolfe who won an honourable mention in Printmaking! The water-based inks produced such rich colours! I'm excited to have such a talented artist added to our small art collection.
Reworking this blog!
It's been far too long, but baby has been keeping me away from my precious laptop! But, he hasn't kept me away from some fabulous art exhibitions that I've seen recently and will post about shortly! The craziness of my life is being documented on another blog mamasdirtylittlesecrets.wordpress.com. I find I can post snippets of my life very easily at that blog. Taking the time to write reviews requires much more brain capacity that I can muster right about now! And, that's why I've changed the blog title to Escape From Momcatraz! This is my reprieve, albeit brief!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Doors Open Toronto
Desperately wanted to attend some of the sites listed on this year's Doors Open Toronto list. Tried to find something local and accessible for the stroller. There was only one building in the Junction! So, I decided we should head down to the Sunnyside Pavilion, new on this year's Doors Open roster.
We walked through High Park (making sure to come back that way and see Colborne Lodge).
I've never been to Sunnyside Pavilion and it is magnificent. On the link above, you'll find a write up on the history of this bathing pavilion.
At the same time, the Sunnyside Beach Juried Art Show and Sale was on. I feel that the same artists attend these outdoor art shows, but in fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of artists represented. I didn't have much chance to look around as I ran into friend, Judy Anderson of Kukucaju Paintings on Wood! I haven't seen her for a year and had a great catch-up. I even bought a couple of small pieces to hang in my son's room.
With a brief break of playing in the sand and dipping toes into Lake Ontario, baby was popped back into stroller for a snooze and off we went back up to Colborne Lodge. Couldn't stay on the tour of the sweet little Regency style cottage as if the stroller is not constantly in motion, the boy-child will awake, not refreshed!
A beautiful day, a great walk, a little bit of Toronto's history (ended too soon, thanks Gardiner Expressway) and some art!
We walked through High Park (making sure to come back that way and see Colborne Lodge).
I've never been to Sunnyside Pavilion and it is magnificent. On the link above, you'll find a write up on the history of this bathing pavilion.
At the same time, the Sunnyside Beach Juried Art Show and Sale was on. I feel that the same artists attend these outdoor art shows, but in fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of artists represented. I didn't have much chance to look around as I ran into friend, Judy Anderson of Kukucaju Paintings on Wood! I haven't seen her for a year and had a great catch-up. I even bought a couple of small pieces to hang in my son's room.
With a brief break of playing in the sand and dipping toes into Lake Ontario, baby was popped back into stroller for a snooze and off we went back up to Colborne Lodge. Couldn't stay on the tour of the sweet little Regency style cottage as if the stroller is not constantly in motion, the boy-child will awake, not refreshed!
A beautiful day, a great walk, a little bit of Toronto's history (ended too soon, thanks Gardiner Expressway) and some art!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Where do you take baby for a dose of urabn life and culture?
In case I've intrigued you, but haven't given you enough information about events and reviews of the cultural vein, do let me know where you go with baby. Let's start sharing!
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