Two new reviews in Magenta Magazine: Le Mois de la Photo and Douglas Coupland

The Fall 2011 edition of Magenta Magazine was just launched into the internet, and it contains two pieces I wrote this fall: a broad, overall review of Le Mois de la Photo 2011 Lucidity: Inward Views, and an interview with Douglas Coupland about his latest public art piece, Group Portrait 1957. Click the images below to read the full reviews on Magenta’s website. Check out some of the other articles as well.. there is lots of interesting reading!

I had a terrific trip to Le Mois de la Photo, but I found it really difficult to write about (partly because, aside from notes I managed to scribble down before bed each night, I waited far too long after returning from Montreal to actually write the review. Lesson learned!) There were some definite highlights, Jesper Just’s work (seen in the image above) being one. Festivals, even one as subdued and restrained as Le Mois, are intense experiences and sometimes their advantage (lots of art, all in one place!) is simultaneously their downfall (art burnout!) Luckily I was with two awesome photo-loving friends and we managed to see a lot in two and a half days.

I was excited to interview Coupland, even by email, since I’ve read several of his books and generally followed his trajectory with interest and curiosity. Though I’m not always a huge fan of what he creates, he’s an undeniable Canadian icon.  Sadly, I haven’t had a chance to see this newest installation in person yet (it’s in Oshawa; really not that far away!) but judging by the installation photos, it’s pretty nifty.

Other than these two little reviews, where have I been? Back at school! That is; working as I was before at Canadian Art, and taking two night classes. I’m taking a course to amp up my grammar skills, and a course about the editing process. It’s going well, but really does make the week drag on. At the same time, I can hardly believe we’re at November already, and that I let September and October pass without a single blog entry.

My excuse, of course, is that between work and school there isn’t much free time left for writing projects. I continue to edit, as mentioned before, Gallery 44′s blog, which I hope you’re reading if you’re interested in photography. It’s a really valuable project for me, and I’m loving working with Lise, the blog contributors, and the rest of the staff at Gallery 44. I also owe a big thanks to Bill Clarke, editor of Magenta Magazine, for his positivity and encouragement. No more two-month breaks from this blog!

Some thoughts on General Idea

I wrote a post for BlogTO on the Haute Culture: General Idea retrospective exhibition, now on at the AGO. It’s a huge show that doesn’t exactly lend itself to writing a bite-sized review, so I had some difficulty getting the point across: It’s really good. For a whole bunch of different reasons. Even though at first glance it might seem like an insular exhibition—so concerned with a bygone time period and a community that I’m not part of—there is truly something for everyone in this exhibition. It spans media, tone, and technique, while maintaining a humourous and playful, yet incisive, subversion. Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote:

Though it’s surprising to some that audiences had to wait so long for a retrospective–General Idea disbanded nearly 20 years ago, in 1994 when Partz and Zontal died, a few months apart, from AIDS-related illnesses–the exhibition benefits from the distance in time and in culture. Bonnet, as a non-Canadian curator, is able to bring an outside perspective to the works. As for the separation in time, it lends the exhibition an air of discovery.

Bonnet’s introductory text states the General Idea’s oeuvre “anticipated many of today’s art trends,” and I couldn’t agree more. From those goofy, ironic posed portraits, to multiples that blur the line between art and commerce, to the staging of elaborate performances and rituals like the Miss General Idea Pageant, the works feel extremely fresh. It’s hard to tell if that’s because they were ahead of their time, or because their influence is so strongly present in the work of today’s hip, young, university-educated artists, or because such a comprehensive gathering of the works is unprecedented. Probably all three–and the effects are stunning. You can read the rest on BlogTO.

For those who have also seen MoCCA’s summer exhibition, This Is Paradise, Haute Culture makes an interesting companion. There’s some historical overlap, and some shared Toronto connection, although I hoped for more from This Is Paradise, and it paled in comparison to Haute Culture.. though perhaps that is an unfair comparison. Calling it a “ a microcosmic historical exercise,” my colleague Bryne McLaughlin wrote a terrific review, that summed up exactly what I thought of this exhibition, for Canadian Art.

Still, This Is Paradise (regardless of its shortcomings), and Haute Culture, certainly both have been stirring the city’s artistic imagination. Part of Haute Culture‘s allure is its ability to conjure Toronto’s art scene at its beginnings. It’s certainly worth seeing, preferably multiple times. Haute Culture: General Idea continues until Jan 1, 2012.

Erin Stump Projects; sum forms by Vanessa Maltese

I recently visited Erin Stump Projects to see my friend Vanessa Maltese’s new show, sum forms. I also wrote a profile on the space, for BlogTO.. read it here!

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of Vanessa’s paintings. They’re a really great mix of geometric forms, curious perspective, pure colour and natural texture. I love seeing the wood show through in her work and I find it interesting to see how she is working with wood in new ways: for example, sum forms features a wood plinth with different types of wood inlaid at the top.. unusual and definitely beautiful.

New project: Gallery 44 is blogging!

I’m proud to announce that Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography, has launched a blog. I’ve written the first post, which is on the current PROOF 18 exhibition and includes brief interviews with three of the featured artists. From here on in I will be dedicating some writing efforts to this blog, and coordinating and editing contributions from various members of the great community that Gallery 44 has access to.
More than just a news blog on events happening at the gallery, the blog will seek to connect its members through writing and sharing images, and to become a leading voice in the conversation on contemporary photography in Canada.

Please read and share if you’re interested in the contemporary photography community in Toronto and Canada—the blog will bring together all kinds of voices you’ll probably be interested in hearing from.

The richness of oil paintings

On Friday I went to the openings of the new exhibitions at LE Gallery, “The Roving Iconist” by Bogdan Luca and “Sheltered” by Megan McCabe. Both young painters working mainly in oils, whom I’ve written about before and whose work seems to keep popping up around town, never cease to impress me. Given style and subject matter, they are an odd pairing, but it is mastery over the materials (a common theme at LE, and quickly becoming the surest way to my art-heart) that unites their oeuvres. Luca’s large-scale paintings had a certain news-photo-montage look, with helmeted figures building, labouring, and plotting away. The strict blue and magenta colour palette that Luca uses adds a separation of time, putting me in mind of tinted or monochromatic historical images. The lightness of his washes and bright drips sweeping down the canvases seems sinister, though. A sense of strategy pervades the exhibition and the figures seem caught in the cycles of creation and destruction.

McCabe’s oil paintings are a little more idyllic, mainly images of leisure or wandering in natural settings. Similar to her exhibition last summer (also at LE), the paintings held a nostalgic perspective, but this time the figures’ frolicking was tempered even more by a deep, dark colour palette and a certain distance afforded by the loose, active brushwork. One painting in particular, Waterfall, seemed like McCabe setting off in a new direction. The lines were more aggressive, the impasto thicker, and the situation more ambiguous.

To dismiss them as simply straight representations of upper-middle-class Canadian leisure activities would be missing the point. Most of the works featured a structure of some type or other—hence the title “Sheltered.” These ranged from the futuristic-looking domes of modern tents clustered together, to a crude lean-to made of sticks, the type often constructed and forgotten by kids at play. The human urge to build even the simplest hut, as a marker of civilization, conquest, or comfort, is an idea that underpins the exhibition, and reminds me how easy it can be to feel at home in the wilderness with just a tent, a backpack, and a few necessities. Good timing, since I am finally heading to the woods this weekend.

Summer update..

Big changes have been happening in my personal life.  Even though they were set in motion months ago, I’m still adjusting to the impact of a new job and a new apartment and thus have been taking a break from writing. It’s been a month since I last posted here, but I’m back to give a quick update on the bits and pieces of art that I have managed to include in my life recently.

CONTACT photography festival. I saw some terrific exhibitions, most notably Dynamic Landscape, the feature exhibition at MoCCA. I know, so predictable of me. Fred Herzog, also at MoCCA, was another highlight.

Vancouver and Victoria visiting. I spent a week in these two fine cities, for purely holiday reasons, but I did see some art while I was there. The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria featured a surprisingly wide array of exhibitions for a smallish space; though three were garden-themed and one was on the ever-present Emily Carr, I was really impressed. The Vancouver Art Gallery (whose acronym is so frequently repeated with a straight face around the office, I no longer snicker like a twelve-year-old) was equally awesome. The Ken Lum exhibition was a fitting introduction to the city’s art scene, as it featured his signage-based works, documentation around the public art piece Monument for East Vancouver, and one of the best-designed exhibition info cards I’ve ever seen. The other exhibitions were good, too, but Ken Lum really stood out. (In my experience and especially at art school, any discussion of the ‘Vancouver School’ was inevitably dominated by Jeff Wall, so though I knew Lum by name, I don’t think I’d ever actually seen his work before.)

Workshop/critique. On Tuesday night I led a critique group made up of four members of Gallery 44 (where I am also a member.) It was really heartening to discuss developing bodies of work with people who have careers in other fields, but make space in their lives to nurture their passion for photography and image-making. I was impressed by the quality of work, the sophistication of the way participants discussed their ideas, and the general quality of discussion that arose from the evening. (Not that I was expecting anything less! G44 members have repeatedly shown themselves to be a very engaged and savvy bunch.)

Lucky me, I also got to be on the receiving end of some workshop/seminar experiences: this week was MagNet, and I went to two inspiring and interesting sessions. Spring has tended to be a time when the feeling I call “gallery fatigue” sets in, so I’m hoping both of these will reignite my enthusiasm for what I do, both at my day job and in my writing projects.

Public Displays of Video

I recently reviewed a great book on video art for Prefix Photo‘s 23rd issue, Shadow Plays. The magazine launched this week, and will be on newsstands for the next 6 months. The book, Pixels and Places: Video art in public space, is a survey of many projects throughout the short but illustrious history of video art. Written by Dutch art historian Catrien Schreuder, the slim volume is well worth a look for anyone interested in the topic. And truthfully, it’s hard not to feel a little invested in public video art display when one is often surrounded by projects of various merits and descriptions gracing the omnipresent video screens and projection surfaces of the commercialized downtown world.

Here’s an excerpt of my review:

“What artistic possibilities does public space offer for video art, and conversely, what can video art offer public space?” These are the central questions posed by Pixels and Places: Video Art in Public Space. Rather than seeking to define an optimal model of public video art, the book offers about 80 brief case studies—from large urban installations, to smaller-scale initiatives—with a focus on the Netherlands (where the book’s author and publisher are based) and the Rotterdam festival, Cineboards. Pixels and Places also draws in related issues: increased commercial dominance in public space, and changing forms and conventions in video art.

Prefix’s articles aren’t available online, but the magazine can be found at various art galleries and bookshops around the city (and elsewhere, I’m sure). The rest of the magazine looks wonderful—I haven’t read the whole thing yet, but it certainly looks to be packed with thoughtful articles and inspiring photos.

CONTACT Photography Festival madness..

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably already seen that I wrote a great big preview post on CONTACT Photography Festival for BlogTO last week, just in advance of the festival launch. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to check it out and add your own picks in the comments section!

I managed to make it to the launch party at MoCCA  (as well as my alma mater‘s grad show, Maximum Exposure, at the Gladstone) but other than that, I’ve been completely occupied with the life-overtaking activity of moving to a new apartment. Phew!

On the agenda this week, I’m celebrating my first time being published in print with the launch of Prefix Photo 23: Shadow Plays, on Thursday May 5th. Stay tuned— I’ll be posting later this week again about the piece I wrote for Prefix.

Late this month, I have a few plans up my sleeve for writings on the many CONTACT exhibitions I’m planning on seeing. But before then, I’ll be visiting Vancouver and Victoria, so while I’ll be away, I’ll probably accumulate some good visual experiences to share here. Happy May!

Recent gallery visiting: Butcher Gallery and Neubacher Shor Contemporary

The two galleries I’ve visited most recently to write profiles on, are not far away from each other physically, but they couldn’t be more different in spirit. While one is a low-or-no-budget experimental gallery housed in its co-creators’ dwelling, the other is a big, polished, gallery-slash-event-space with a catering partner.

The former, Butcher Gallery, has been around for a few years and recently moved from Queen East to Dundas and Lansdowne. The latter, Neubacher Shor Contemporary, is brand new, but one of its namesakes used to run another eponymous gallery at Yonge and Bloor in the mid-2000s. Both are interesting spaces that offer completely different experiences. Read my profiles on BlogTO, or better yet, visit them.

Some small changes are going on for me, with regards to the writing I do here. I recently started a part-time job that I’m loving, but with my new schedule writing weekly gallery profiles has presented a major balancing challenge. I’ve negotiated a less stringent schedule with my editors at BlogTO, which I’m really grateful for.

Hopefully at some point soon I’ll get back to posting more reviews on current exhibitions. There’s been a few things I really wanted to share and write about, but either never got around to, or abandoned drafts because the exhibition had ended.

It’ll continue to be a bit quiet around here while I sort out personal stuff (including celebrating my birthday! and moving to a new apartment! and going on a short holiday! eee!) but expect lots more updates by the time CONTACT rolls around…

Gallery Profile: Lausberg Contemporary

Here is another gallery profile I wrote for BlogTO, on Galerie Lausberg, a Minimalist/Op-Art space with arms in Toronto, Düsseldorf, and Miami.

While I sort of wish I’d gotten to meet the gallery’s namesake, his partner, who helms the Toronto outpost, gave me a thorough story of the gallery’s history and its vision. Read it here!