notes
ISSUE 1 FALL 2014
Justina Smith Walterdale Bridge II (detail) Mixed media on canvas 2014
PrairieSeen is a registered non-profit organization operating in Edmonton, Alberta. PrairieSeen Notes is published as a part of the organization’s mandate. Directors/ Editors: Chelsey Van Weerden Tori McNish
www.prairieseen.com
© 2014 PRAIRIESEEN CONTEMPORARY ARTS LTD.
EDITORS’ NOTE When the idea of transforming PrairieSeen the Blog into PrairieSeen the Online Publication was initially broached, we jumped on it wholeheartedly, not realizing the months of coordinating, e-mails and self-imposed deadlines that would ensue. However, we couldn't be happier to have the opportunity to bring together a group of amazing artists and writers for Issue 1. It was a genuine pleasure to work with every one of them on this project; we could tell their passion for Edmonton's visual arts shone through in their work, and we hope you feel the same. Photo by Giulliano Palladino
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all our supporters and friends who helped us advertise, raise funds, and generally hustle this thing into existence. An extra special thank you goes out to all of our Indiegogo campaign funders, and of course, our lovely contributors - this literally would not have happened without all of you. Best, Tori McNish and Chelsey Van Weerden
CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bertagnolli wears many hats. In addition to being the Interpretive Programs Coordinator at the AGA, she teaches Art History at the post-secondary level, and is one of the co-founders of Hardcopy: Edmonton's Artist Book and Zine Fair, among other projects. She has previously written about art in both institutional and freelance positions and has been involved in various curatorial projects. She feels strongly about fostering open and accessible relationships between art, institutions and the public. Brad Necyk is a MFA graduate in Intermedia at the University of Alberta, working through the mediums of photography, video and performance. His current work focuses around (auto)-biography, psychiatry, biopolitics and thinking after biopolitics. He has shown work around Canada, participated in artists’ residencies, delivered academic papers internationally and is currently teaching a number of seniorlevel courses in Drawing and Intermedia at the University of Alberta.
Justina Smith is a painter, prolific picture-taker and tiny adventurer who lives in Edmonton. She loves exploring her city, the province, heck, the whole country looking for fun things to draw/paint/photograph, and sharing her experiences with anyone interested. She does this both in her painting and in her writing, both of which can be perused at www.justinasmith.com.
Justine Hartlieb-Power is an aspiring curator, art critic and all around art enthusiast from Edmonton. She’s always had an interest in art, dating back to her schoolgirl days when she painted portrait after portrait of Ringo Starr.
Julie-Ann Mercer is a Master of Arts Candidate at the University of Alberta in the History of Art, Design and Visual Culture.
Helena Wadsley is a visual artist based in Vancouver; she teaches painting and drawing at Langara College and during the summers she runs an artist residency in Italy. She works in the media of painting, video, photography and textiles, and recently had her video work exhibited in Venice, Italy, Vancouver and is currently in a touring festival across the US; this summer, her textile sculptures were included in exhibitions in southern Italy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
#yegarts Connections: A Resurgence of Edmonton Arts Initiatives by Megan Bertagnolli
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Communitas: Artistic Explorations Through Intermedia by Brad Necyk
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Featured Artist: Justina Smith by PrairieSeen
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Review: Richard Boulet, Early Recovery dc3 Art Projects, June 14-July 26, 2014 by Justine-Hartlieb Power
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Review: Ali Nickerson, Blastoff Fine Arts Building Gallery, July 22-August 16, 2014 by Julie-Ann Mercer
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Review: Irene Rasetti, Waiting for the Man Alberta Craft Council Gallery, June 19-July 26, 2014 by Chelsey Van Weerden
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Preview: Brigitta Kocsis, Magnetic Fields Harcourt House Gallery, September 18-October 17, 2014 by Helena Wadsley
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Preview: Mark Clintberg, Hair SNAP Gallery, September 11-October 11, 2014 by Tori McNish
Logo provided by The Drawing Room
Illustration by Patrick Kerby for Creative Practices Institute
#yegarts CONNECTIONS: A RESURGENCE OF EDMONTON ARTS INTIATIVES by Megan Bertagnolli
These are exciting times for the visual arts in Edmonton. Over the past year to year and a half, a number of new initiatives have begun to take shape. These include everything from creating much-needed studio and gallery spaces to the development and expansion of text-based publications and the staging of multidisciplinary events. At their core, each seeks to bring together people and create dialogue around art and art production, though the ways in which they move towards these aims varies greatly. The people behind these projects are young, ambitious and tenacious. Eschewing a paternalistic top-down approach, it’s significant that these initiatives have arisen through the process of identifying individual needs. They largely follow the model of the artist-run centre in that they are initiated and maintained by artists (or other creatives), though they may not overtly selfidentify this way. Below are overviews of but three of these initiatives worth knowing about (and participating in!) in Edmonton today. The Drawing Room Tucked away on 97th street and 102nd avenue, beside the Church of Scientology and around the corner from the Art Gallery of Alberta, The Drawing Room came to be in May 2013. Initiated by
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Chelsea Boos and encouraged by Sean Bliss, the focus of The Drawing Room is the open workspace that features affordable work spaces for up to nine. The open concept of the studio space is designed to foster conversation and collaboration. I’ve had the pleasure of doing studio visits at The Drawing Room and love the kind of exchange between artists this set-up enables. In addition, the storefront has been converted into a modest gallery. Known as the Salon, this space hosts exhibitions that turn over with great frequency, allowing artists and other creatives a platform in which to experiment and receive feedback on new ideas. Attending an opening at The Drawing Room is like attending an incubator for ideas. The experience is entirely worthwhile, and there is no cost. The space fills to capacity quickly with people and conversation, and bodies cram together to look at some really interesting projects. To get some air, groups frequently gather out front to catch up, discuss ideas, or talk shop. Currently, The Drawing Room is working on renovating a new space only a couple of blocks away in the old Orient Travel building. For this endeavour, Boos has partnered with a couple of local entrepreneurs who together have taken the name OT Collective, a name that nods to the previous life of the space. This new venue maintains its commitment to creative exchange by maintain the existing open studio set-up and expanding greatly upon exhibition space. There are also plans afoot for a small cafÊ and shop, and a couple of other fantastic and yet to be announced surprises. Currently, the aim is to make the transition into this space in fall 2014. Until then, existing space is open Monday to Friday from 12-5. www.drawingroomedmonton.com Creative Practices Institute Formed in the spring of 2014 and occupying an entire heritage home on 122 Street just north of Jasper Avenue, Creative Practices Institute (CPI) is the newest kid on the block. Positioned explicitly as an artist-run centre to-be by Co-founding Directors Connor Buchanan and Brittney Roy, CPI currently acts as testing ground with a stated aim of focusing on emerging artists. Together with their Founding Board of Directors, Buchanan and Roy have ambitious plans that show they mean business.
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Image provided by Art/ Beat
CPI maintains six studio residencies, which they identify as their cornerstone. This Creatives in Residency program offers spaces for short-term, project-based work that can last up to six months. In addition to studio space, CPI supports these artists by assisting with portfolio preparation, grant writing, and more. These residencies largely take place on the top floor of the house. In addition to studios, CPI offers what they call a “Curatorial Lab” and a “Collaboration Lab,” suggesting an experimental approach to the spaces they conceptualize as exhibitory and discursive. Although they have already hosted a small number of exhibitions, both of these are still emergent programs. In addition, CPI has two internships at various stages of development and implementation – a Programming and Development Intern and a Curatorial Intern. So far, things are progressing well for CPI, and after their first year they’ll be eligible for some operational grants to help them expand and cultivate their objectives. It’ll also give them increased stability and a greater sense of permanence. CPI is open to the public from Wednesday to Friday from 4-6pm, and Saturday from 11-4pm. www.creativepracticesinstitute.com Art/Beat Officially launched on New Year’s Eve 2013, Art/Beat combines music with visual culture to create events that bring into collision different groups of people who might not otherwise meet. Aware
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of how the arts community can be quite cliquey, their hope is that by constantly partnering with an eclectic range of artists, musicians, designers, etc., they can start to break down some of these invisible barriers and invite people into contact with Edmonton’s rich creative culture. These social experiments function entirely without a fixed space. Although they began by partnering with people whose sites they found interesting, such as that of the Creative Clubhouse located above a bottle depot in Boyle Street, they recently put out a call for spaces, turning the traditional approach of seeking out venues on its head. By having venues pitch their location, Art/Beat opens themselves up to a world of opportunities that may have previously been unconsidered or unknown. This approach suits them well. As these things do, Art/Beat started as a conversation between two friends, Alyssa Ott and Kaelyn Saunders, two unassuming people who like to shake things up. They see themselves as a “Community Project,” not a formal organization per se, and currently rely entirely on social media and word of mouth to promote each happening. Their desire to not formalize allows them to retain fluidity and act more as instigators waiting to see what happens without a prescribed agenda. http://artbeatyeg.wordpress.com/ I know that I occupy a privileged position in Edmonton’s arts community: not only am I actively involved professionally, it’s also where I like to play. In the process of preparing to write this article, I spoke with the people behind the myriad of new initiatives and asked them why they thought this upsurge was happening now. There were some speculations, but no definitive conclusions. In truth, there have been other really great projects that have made appearances, but these have either ran their course and are now defunct, were intended as temporary, or are on hiatus. If you’re interested in learning about some of these manifestations from the past five to ten years, The Apartment Show and the Fast and Dirty Collective offer a starting point. One of the challenges facing the visual arts in Edmonton is a lack of writing, creating a situation where there is a lack of awareness and visibility (even within the arts community) for the truly wonderful things happening here. The other is insularity. I’m honoured to be part of the first online journal coordinated by
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PrairieSeen, and that’s not a platitude. Like The Drawing Room, Creative Practices Institute, and Art/Beat, they share a similar drive and are responding to what they’ve identified as an unmet need. As a writer and an arts advocate, I’m proud of where Edmonton’s arts community is headed and excited to see what develops.
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Adam Whitford Disintegration Cycle Film still 2014
Adam Whitford Retrograde Film still 2014
COMMUNITAS: ARTISTIC EXPLORATIONS THROUGH INTERMEDIA by Brad Necyk
Edmonton is emerging onto the international stage as a large city that is generally known for its robust economic presence. However, distinct strides have been made by the city and province to also establish Edmonton as a city with strong research and postsecondary infrastructure, a budding cultural sphere, and a growing sense of community amongst the urban sprawl. I am aware that this prior statement has many avenues of contention, but those are not the points I wish to discuss. As a Sessional Instructor at the University of Alberta for senior level courses in Drawing and Intermedia, I believe that this program has created space for young creative practitioners to take risks and think critically about their contemporary condition, whether locally or globally, and to ask questions through their work. The Drawing and Intermedia student artists discussed in this article are all diverse in their approach, something very important within the Intermedia program, but have all remained consistent in engaging notions of community and how to create through-lines between their local conditions and desire for further connection. For Italian philosopher Roberto Esposito, community “is the totality of persons united not by ‘property’ but precisely by an obligation or a debt; not by an ‘addition’ but by a ‘subtraction’: by a lack, a limit that is configured as an onus.” To begin, I want to look at Adam Whitford’s two recent projects, Disintegration Cycle and Retrograde, both video based projects that take on two
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Haylee Fortin Close Encounters Film Still 2014 fascinating topics. In Disintegration Cycle, Whitford takes 5 second clips, loops them and then deploys data moshing technology to crush them over the span of 8 minutes. In one video, the scene of a refinery in the distance is foregrounded by a dense forest. When left to run, the scene dissolves into a static field within minutes, leaving only the smoke pouring from the superstructures still discernable and the treed foreground a disparate field of pixels. In another video a woman waits at a bus stop; moving ever so much back and forth, her outfit and location could speak to a certain socio-economic placement, possibly someone often over looked, noise in the background. As the video plays and the data moshing does its work, the concrete world of capital dissolves and the scene is left with the woman front and center, moving back and forth in an unsettling, yet poetic stasis. In Retrograde Whitford creates a 10 minute short about a man who lives out of sync in a world where everyone else moves in reverse. His isolation as he moves awkwardly through his everyday life is both humorous and oddly epic. His everyday movements are punctuated by his character re-enacting movie scenes
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from popular culture, notably Taxi Driver and Memento, in which the viewer senses the scenes are practiced repeatedly to find some sort of connection to a world he is not really part of. This culminates in the final scene of the video, where the man makes a first attempt at connecting with another person in this world: he simply asks, ‘Do you like Taxi Driver?’ From a technical standpoint, what Whitford accomplishes is outstanding. Every scene is shot forward then reversed, requiring him to choreograph all the movement and speech in every scene in reverse, so that when reversed again in the editing program, it looks and sounds like the man is moving forward and everything around him runs backwards. This process makes the characters movements all the more isolated, tense and humorous. While Whitford’s notions of community feel more like a grasp for one, whether between the churning of capital or the testaments of pop culture, the breadth of exploration from the following artists weaves a collective strive for connection. Haylee Fortin’s installation work titled Close Encounters invites us into a 20-foot long by 10-foot wide space cut vertically by a large piece of fabric declining towards the floor as it gets further into the room. As you enter you find holes throughout the fabric, just large enough for a head. As the group enters, a new space is found - a multitude of heads cut from their bodies are left to look at each other and the accompanying video projected above. They are videos of fabric sculptures that are sewn to require multiple people to wear them. When worn, they fashion a fantastic space for bodies to relate to each other, often awkwardly but also unusually immediate. The same is for the sea of heads atop the fabric and maze of bodies below it. Amongst the multitude of bodies required to flesh out the full experience of the piece an ecology of bodies forms, all dependent on each other en masse; all experiencing and relating to each other in an exchange of often missed intimacy. Mika Haykowsky’s recent work led a group onto a train to take an 8 minute ride in which each person is equipped with an iPod and a set of headphones and asked to listen to a track in which the train sounds and the audio on the track are blurred. The sound of a band slams in and the ding of the LRT or a distant conversation bleeds into the natural sounds occurring around us. Adding to this experience is the whisper of Mika’s voice issuing rhythmical commands to ‘touch the person next to you’ or ‘stand up and sit down’, creating a playful relation between those involved in the piece moving and interacting together, yet still aurally isolated,
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Renee Perrott and Alyson Davies Touch Photographs 2013 and for the lucky viewers standing watch on the train. Ariel Durkin inserted all the people from her current everyday life, mostly comprised of her class roster, into the video game Sims 3, in which her character kept a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account to stream content from as this set of doppelgängers live out a second life. Over the course of three weeks, a new sense of community formed between us as each day we found more and more content filling our news feeds about the things each of ‘us’ had done in this other-space: events, fights, and budding relationships all became something to gather and talk about, both online and in our physical meetings. It created a space for new relations and a new sense of community around an other-space for all participants. The last three artists each put out a call through social media to activate individuals in both their local and global community. First, Morgan Melenka created a set of videos and a call to all those that love or loath selfies to gather on Instagram and take motionless posed 15 second selfies to be hashtaged and databased online. The seemingly spontaneous and glamorized nature of the ‘selfie’ was laid bare, exposing its indulgence in performativity. Second, Renee Perrott and Alyson Davies requested through
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social media for people to simply touch someone and take a photo of it. This open call brought in around 50 photos, all comprised of an outstrecthed hand touching someone, either without the recipient acknowledging the act, or with their gratitude or confusion. The photographs we collected, printed and laid atop each other on a table for the viewer to grab hold and sort through. For me, the works discussed all find, recollect, reconsider, and critically engage with aspects of our contemporary condition to bring about a sense of community. Regardless of whether each artist entered into the dialogue through theory, pop culture, social media, or relationships, Esposito’s idea of responsibility is evidenced throughout. This Drawing and Intermedia work (a program with a precarious future) has contributed something exciting to Edmonton’s cultural sphere, and I couldn’t have been happier to bear witness to it. Esposito, Roberto (1998. Translate to English 2010). Communitas: The Origin and Destiny of Community, tr. by Timothy Campbell, Standford: Stanford University Press, p.6
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Justina Smith Terwillegar Dog Park Mixed media on canvas 2014
Justina Smith South Park on Whyte Ave Mixed media on canvas 2014
FEATURED ARTIST: JUSTINA SMITH by PrairieSeen
PrairieSeen: Let's start with an introduction. Justina Smith: My name is Justina Smith, and I’ve been painting and selling my work for almost 15 years. Painting is something I kind of stumbled into. I was taking the technical theatre program at Red Deer College and I signed up for scenic painting for the Shakespeare show during my first year. I was OK at drawing, and the instructor showed us how to grid out the tapestry on the floor so we could draw the outline of the frescos we were going to be painting. He taught me the basics of mid-tones, highlights, and shadows and I was hooked. I wasn’t able to finish the program, as I ran out of money in my 2nd year. A few months later, someone bought me an easel and a canvas and suggested I start painting to see how I liked it, and to see what people thought. I tried my best to ignore that easel in the corner of the hallway for a few months, and finally it bothered me too much that it wasn’t getting used, so I found a picture of Vancouver’s Gastown at dusk, and I started to paint that. Halfway through I hated it, so I painted the whole thing over with white gesso and started again. When it was finished, the owner of the cafe I worked in at the time asked if I wanted to hang it in the cafe so I could get feedback, and at the same time fill some of the empty space on the walls. A few weeks later, someone asked me how much I was selling it for. I held onto that piece for about 9 years before I was finally ready to part with it, when I sold it to some friends that really loved it. I kept paint-
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Justina Smith On the Way Back to the Car Mixed media on canvas 2014 -ing, and hanging my work wherever I could, and people kept buying it…and here we are 15 years later. PS: How would you describe your own style? JS: I read a lot of books and visit large and small galleries pretty frequently and just try things on my own. Most of my style is based on things I learned accidentally through happy creative accidents and a little bit of laziness. My last official art class was Grade 12 Art 30 in 1998, so that was awhile ago. I’ve been fortunate to have become friends with a few artists whose work I really like. I’ve plagued them with questions and bought books on painting technique and colour theory and poured over books showing the works of the Group of Seven and Emily Carr. I’ve had the good fortune of being introduced to John Snow while visiting friends in Calgary once, before I went to Red Deer College. He gave me a tour of his home and his studio and answered all my questions about his creative process. He even gave me a print, but it was lost in a move years ago. PS: What are you currently working on?
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JS: Currently I’m working on some paintings from photos taken on my road trip adventure up the south shore of Nova Scotia from Digby, up to Cape Breton and around the Cabot Trail, and then over into Prince Edward Island. I’m returning to the Maritimes for another nine-day visit, and this time we’ll spend more time exploring Prince Edward Island. Then I’ll jump around and paint some more alleyway graffiti scenes, and some more Edmonton scenes (for my show at the High Level Diner this October). I also have a few more ideas for some anthropomorphized animals in ridiculous cardigans. I’m kind of all over the place with subject matter at times - most times. PS: Your work incorporates ink drawings with acrylics and watercolours. Do you always intend on including this much texture from the beginning, or do you add to the piece as you go? JS: My acrylic mixed-media style has only been a ‘thing’ for the past 4 years. I tried this as an experiment when I was working on a piece of some buildings from downtown Lethbridge. There was some plaster, some exposed brick and a faded painted sign on this group of buildings I had photographed, and I had no idea how to capture the random textures in the painting without taking a really long time trying to get the details just right. I paint a lot, but I don’t like spending too much time on one painting since I have a ton of other things I want to paint. Like I mentioned earlier, my current painting style was kind of born out of laziness. PS: How so? JS: I was rifling through a sample pack of random papers I bought and found some patterns that looked like the textures I wanted in the piece, so I gelled them in and painted carefully beside them, and then drew on top of the painting in some spots with India ink. I was happy with the finished product, and soon received a message from someone wanting to purchase it. I painted about 20 pieces in that series and titled them ‘Building Abstracts’, but I also began trying the concept with other subject matter, like trees and clothing. Then I began drawing on the pieces using coloured acrylic inks, so it wasn’t always black or white. Soon I discovered the lovely handmade papers with various patterns and colours, and I used pieces of hymnal pages as well. I started this because when I used newspaper, people would try to read the article and then ask me if that was the hidden meaning in my work - it’s not. Neither are the hymnals; I just like the texture that words and
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Justina Smith The Princess Theatre Mixed media on canvas 2014 music give to the background. I like that viewers need to get right up close to the pieces to see what’s going on. I like that they see something new every time they glance at a painting of mine. Like life, you can pass by the same things everyday on your way to work, and then one day you notice something you’ve never seen before. What else did you miss? Did something else change? PS: What’s the story behind the painting, Walterdale Bridge II? As you know, the existing bridge won’t be around for much longer. Do you think the new bridge will be as inspiring a subject? JS: I was sad to hear the trestle bridge was being replaced with something more modern and stylish. There aren’t many trestle bridges left, especially in cities. I grew up in Red Deer when the rail yard was still in the middle of the city, and some days the trains literally cut the city in half while they dropped off cars and attached others to continue on their journey. The trestle bridge in Red Deer was in danger of being torn down until a group rallied and won to have it turned into a footbridge instead. It was one of my favourite bridges to walk across with my dog. I thought I should take some photos of the Walterdale Bridge
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before it was swapped out, and then figured some of them should be painted. I also love perspective drawing, and that style of bridge has so many lines - it’s the best. I’m not finished with that series just yet; I have a few more photos that I want to paint. As for the new bridge, I’m sure it will inspire someone. Heck, I might be riding my bike in the river valley and decide I want to photograph or paint it. PS: Much of your work seems to be inspired by your immediate environment – scenes around the city and our rural Alberta surroundings. What is it about this subject matter that makes you return to it? JS: I like to paint what I know. Commissions are a nice challenge because sometimes I get to paint from someone else’s photos and hear their stories, but mostly I paint and write to share what I’ve seen, what I like, and what I’ve learned. For myself, I don’t have to go far to be inspired. I didn’t go to England last summer because I needed fresh inspiration or became tired of traveling Canada; the main impetus for the trip was to visit a friend from Calgary, and I thought I should visit before I lost a tour guide. While there I did the touristy things: visited the Tate Modern, the British Museum, the V&A and walked along the Thames. I spent the rest of my time in a small village I had never heard of (or anyone else I know for that matter), because a friend had offered me a newly vacant house to stay in as a base for exploring the countryside in Somerset. I took the opportunity and had fun painting from that trip and sharing the stories about where I went and whom I met. I’m fascinated by the little things; the little details. I want people who see my work to be fascinated by these things too, or at least look at them with a bit more love and respect than they used to. PS: What's next for you - any upcoming projects or exhibits? JS: I was a vendor at Artswells this year – it was be my first time selling work in British Columbia. We got to camp, listen to music and share my work with strangers in a gorgeous mountain setting. That’s the best - all my favourite things in one four day weekend! I have a show at the High Level Diner in October. There will be a lot of local Edmonton scenes there, and some other things too. I’ve applied to be a part of the Mercer Collective for the fall/
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winter season, so hopefully I’ll have a table there. In March I’m in a show at the Artery here in Edmonton. I will also be keeping Transcend (Argyll) supplied with new works - they have graciously let me hang my work there and sell it since I began working there around 2010. I try to switch it up there once a month. I always have something on the go. I’m always painting and scheming about painting. It’s habitual. PS: Finally, where can we find more of your work? JS: I have an ongoing, rotating display of works at Transcend (Argyll) throughout the year. You can also find my paintings in Lacombe at The Gallery on Main and in Black Diamond at the Bluerock Gallery. I also have an exhibits section on my site where I update the markets or collectives I’m participating in. If you aren’t allergic to dogs, you are welcome to contact me and arrange for a studio visit at my home in Edmonton. You can also contact me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: so many ways to find out about my shenanigans.
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Richard Boulet Untitled Drawing, mixed media 1994-2000 Image by Nika Blasser for dc3 Art Projects
REVIEW: RICHARD BOULET, EARLY RECOVERY dc3 ART PROJECTS, JUNE 14-JULY 26, 2014 by Justine Hartlieb-Power
Early Recovery is a testament to the complicated relationship we have with mental or physical illness: as the title suggests, there is a vast amount of hopefulness in the act of recovering, yet the very concept of recovery dialectically draws upon a number of concerns: if there was recovery, surely there was a period in which the subject was under a great deal of distress? How does one define ‘early,’ and does not an early recovery hint at the possibility of a breakdown in the future? It is precisely this period of conscious recovery and dis-ease that Richard Boulet addresses with his collection of nearly 100 drawings at dc3 Art Projects, spanning the years 1994 to 2000 and displayed according to size and paper type. It is difficult not to feel some level of discomfort while looking through Boulet’s images, specifically because his work embodies various and conflicting states of mental anguish and hopeful playfulness—states of being that most can identify with whether or not they are comfortable with such facts. Yet Boulet stresses that the works are ultimately imbued with ‘positive life energy,’ and should therefore be understood as a form of controlled artistic release. The drawings themselves are an affirmation of this: taken as a whole, they are characterized by a naïve or child-like elegance, albeit one coupled with contorted, deformed bodies and frenetic mark making. Their feverish beauty contrasts heavily with the gallery-white walls and their logical, symmetrical
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Richard Boulet Untitled Drawing, mixed media 1994-2000 Imsge by Nika Blasser for dc3 Art Projects
pairings, making them appear contained - but only barely so. The rather large space between each grouping is an effective tactic, allowing the eyes and mind a moment of rest before moving through to the next arrangement. Boulet’s fabric sculpture, Acute Dystonic Reaction: Ex Voto (2003), the only threedimensional work in the exhibition, breaks up the intensity of the drawings nicely while inviting comparison to the artist’s body of textile-based work. Appearing out of an alcove like a shimmering mirage that is both hopeful and menacing, Ex Voto is an offering of thanks and a testament to Boulet’s fortitude (Acute Dystonic Reaction is a painful physical side effect in certain anti-psychosis medication). Besides the drawings themselves, the most visually arresting element in the exhibition is the vibrant green panel that juts out of the main gallery wall. As Gallery Manager Nika Blasser explains, green not only brings out certain colours within the drawings exceptionally well, it also embodies rebirth. Drawing upon a familiar and welcome sight within Edmonton, Blasser and dc3 Art Projects founder David Candler effectively evoke elements of spring, comparing the awakening of the natural world with Boulet’s recovery. Additionally, the particular green chosen by Blasser and Candler has a calming effect on the work. After looking at so many physically diseased bodies and distorted, atmospheric perspectives, the green gives off a benevolent glow that acts as a conduit to Boulet’s raw emotion. Rather than compete with the images, the green wall creates visual and emotional lightness that assists the drawings and their subjects in breaking free of the confines of the gallery space and one another. As I moved through the space and took in the images before me, I was struck by a literary term that hadn’t crossed my mind since my days as an English major in university: the carnivalesque. Coined by Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin, the carnivalesque is the semiotic conclusion to his theories regarding the European history of the carnival and it’s ability to subvert the status quo through chaos. There is no doubt that mental health issues are still largely taboo in our society. Rather than work within this oftentimes restrictive framework, Boulet creates a space in which he is able to articulate his emotions through grotesque, chaotic distortions of perspective and form, thereby liberating the artist and his spectators from the rigidity of dominant cultural mores pertaining to mental and physical health. It became clear to me that the spectator is, in fact, complicit in the
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journey of recovery. There are no bystanders in the carnivalesque, only participants in the disordering and reinterpretation of society.
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REVIEW: ALI NICKERSON, BLASTOFF FINE ARTS BUILDING GALLERY, JULY 22-AUGUST 16, 2014 by Julie-Ann Mercer
When I saw Ali Nickerson’s recent Fine Arts Building Gallery exhibition, Blastoff, I imagined people walking through her exhibition and asking, “What’s with the turkeys, beer bottles, and electronic devices?” The meaning of Nickerson’s work might mystify viewers, since the objects and drawings are physical memories created from her own experiences and heritage. Walking through Blastoff, I felt uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen. Art is a storyteller. Looking at art is trying to figure out what an artist is communicating and how their message affects you and connects with your own story. However, it can be difficult to engage or lose yourself in art as you would with a book or a movie because artworks are a manifestation of an artist’s thoughts and experiences. The physical form does not contain the same predictability as other forms of media. As a result, many viewers want to be told: “This is art because…” These phrases diminish the artwork’s capability to ignite curiosity in the viewer, as they prescribe a remedy. Instead of using this prescription to fill a void of knowledge, accept vulnerability in not understanding. A connection builds from what you see and derive meaning from and by opening yourself up and filling knowledge gaps with your own experiences. I thought about this walking through the exhibition. Giddy Skin
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Ali Nickerson Blastoff Mixed media installation 2014 Image provided by artist
Ali Nickerson Giddy Skin Bib Mixed media installation 2014 Image provided by artist
Bib has latex moulds of beer bottles attached to fishhooks hanging from the gallery ceiling by string. As the bottles decay, they resemble withered condoms. An industrial spotlight illuminates the round contours of the bottles while they turn on their hooks, projecting long, phallic shadows onto the gallery wall. Nickerson confronts issues of addiction by literally hanging her fear of developing an alcohol dependency. She forces her fear to slowly deteriorate within the latex bottles, which eventually fall to the gallery floor. In her installation Blastoff, four turkeys hang from ropes extended from wood planks high on the gallery walls. Three of the turkeys have an iridescent skin-like exterior while the fourth turkey has a cartoonish appearance and is stuffed with fake dynamite. Nickerson draws on stories she heard as a child of starving soldiers who attempted to survive by stealing fowl from farmers who would leave their booby-trapped meat tied up in trees. The tactile quality of the turkeys is intriguing – their smooth surfaces invite you to touch them, but the fake dynamite taunts the viewers safety. Nickerson effectively creates a candid reflection of who she is and where she has come from in both installations, whether the viewer is privy to her personal anecdotes or not. Due to this, I felt the weight of Nickerson’s memories in each object I looked at. I was able to connect with her work, even without knowing all the stories behind it, by seeing my own demons in her art.
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Irene Rasetti Untitled Mixed textiles No date Images by Cedna Todorovoc, courtesy of the Alberta Craft Council
Irene Rasetti Waiting for the Man installation view Mixed textiles No date Images by Cedna Todorovoc, courtesy of the Alberta Craft Council
REVIEW: IRENE RASETTI, WAITING FOR THE MAN ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY, JUNE 19-JULY 26, 2014 by Chelsey Van Weerden
Waiting for the Man embodies a condition that most women (myself included) can likely identify with – holding an acute awareness of the bridal tradition’s troubling past while still finding ourselves occasionally wrapped up in its enduring charm. Today we can and do aspire to more than marriage as an ultimate goal, and yet, something about the white wedding dress maintains its tight grip on our psyche. It keeps us daydreaming of bridal salons and wedding websites and that pinnacle, tearful moment of finding The One Dress, the physical manifestation of a love most unique and real. The siren call of tradition can, evidently, undercut any contradictory notions of why these customs hold strong. Irene Rasetti attempts to reconcile these conflicting draws with her deconstructed dress forms. Seven figures greet the viewer, all clad in white, the amorphous shapes hinting at their resemblance to wedding dresses while simultaneously eschewing the big, white princess gown and its fairy tale connotations. Despite renouncing veils, sequins and lace, the garments recall the moment in time in which donning a white dress would herald the start of a ‘real’ life. Rasetti’s use of several fabrics and textures in each garment create unusual shapes, with multiple textures tucked in unexpected places. Rasetti's background in fashion design is apparent while walking
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amongst the carefully clad dress forms standing at attention, no doubt the result of painstaking handiwork. At a glance, the unorthodox shapes and draping are apparent, but a closer look reveals impeccable stitching and construction with thoughtful combinations of textured fabrics. In her own words, Rasetti describes her garments as rejecting “perfection and standard notions of beauty.” As a viewer, I certainly see beauty in the technical construction and use of fabrics. Where perfection seems abandoned is in the dresses’ own confusion as to what they are not sculpture or clothing; neither wedding dresses nor a subversive jab at patriarchal traditions. Delicate fabrics like silks and laces are present in one floor-length slinky gown, its lingerie-like silhouette interrupted at the waist and neck by a cotton collar recalling menswear. Other dress shapes are stiff and layered, with no defined waist or bust. However, the most structured dress will even find itself with ruffles peeking out: traditional wedding dress notions clearly die hard. The exhibition title Waiting for the Man is apt, as the personified dress forms do appear expectant - almost hopeful as the viewer strolls around, inspecting each one. Notes tucked in and around the articles add to this self-awareness: statements from movietypical wedding vows, more in line with a ceremony the dresses don't quite belong in. “To have and to hold”, and “in sickness and in health” read as a fervent adherence to bridal traditions, belied by the dresses‘ own self-doubt. Encompassing what Rasetti describes as a “disillusionment and conflicted desire,” the vows seem aspirational for something even they don’t quite believe in. As beautiful as they are distorted, Rasetti’s dresses recall the familiar way we arbitrarily cling to rituals leading up to and including weddings and the subsequent marriages - all for tradition, we say.
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Brigitta Kocsis Gravity Acrylic on canvas 2014 Image provided by artist
PREVIEW: BRIGITTA KOCSIS, MAGNETIC FIELDS HARCOURT HOUSE GALLERY, SEPTEMBER 18-OCTOBER 17, 2014 by Helena Wadsley
Decrepit laboratories and broken down industrial sites appear to be the settings in Brigitta Kocsis’ suite of paintings, Magnetic Fields. Menacing machinery, shards of raw metal, and rubber hoses, both turgid and limpid, loom over incomplete bodies affixed to unidentifiable structures. The figures are either part machine or part, well, just not there. One has a prosthetic leg that looks like a hockey goalie’s padding while another has a pair of legs that transform from a Meccanolike construction into an outline of delicate hooves. Kocsis insists that her interests lean towards formalism; she likes to play with the interaction between abstraction and figuration, explaining the fragmented figures. The reduction of imagery from being highly detailed to mere outline shows her prioritization of the elements of painting over the narrative. While a series of paintings such as Magnetic Fields requires months of research and planning, processes that take place without paint, ultimately it is the physical act of painting that is Kocsis’ chief interest. Playing contrasting colours and shapes off of each other results in compositions that are dynamic and complex. Areas of flatness are interspersed with the illusion of depth and the resulting friction between imagery and painted surface heightens the psychological tension between the figures in their mysterious surroundings. These paintings allow the imagination to travel; with such beguiling scenes of dystopia, Kocsis’ work leads us to ponder the human condition and the effects technology has upon it. 34
Mark Clintberg Hair (series) Inkjet print on newsprint 2012Image provided by SNAP Gallery
PREVIEW: MARK CLINTBERG, HAIR SNAP GALLERY, SEPTEMBER 11-OCTOBER 11, 2014 by Tori McNish
As sculpted beards, moustaches, and haircuts harking back to earlier times have re-emerged, so have barbershops: the men’s-only hair care establishments wherein your barber (also most likely a man) is more likely to wield a pair of hair clippers than scissors. Characterized by leather, wood, and a clean shave with a straight razor, barbershops once also featured newsprintposters advertising various trendy hairstyles papered in the window. Mark Clintberg documents these found photographs through re-photographing them for a series of work he simply calls Hair. Mirroring the process of their initial production, Clintberg has printed the works on newsprint using a duotone print format. Originally hung in the barbershop’s window, these images would have been subject to discolouration and fading over time, much like the hairstyles themselves. Clintberg’s display of his re-productions (themselves echoing the styles’ resurgence) in a gallery setting bring to the fore how these photographs call attention to what he calls “public requests for the appreciation of male beauty,” referring to their intended purpose of encouraging men to appreciate the beauty of other men, and their attempts to emulate this beauty. Displayed together without regard for their original setting, these works also reveal societal divisions present during their initial production. Barbers, using these images as marketing tools, displayed people and hairstyles reflective of their particular male clientele. Compared side-by-side, the differences between the men, and their hairstyles, are all too evident. 36
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