artnyni

Julie Béna | Purple Unicorn

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Megan.Flottorp

24.6. – 17.8. 2016

Ferdinand Baumann Gallery

Curator: Christina Gigliotti

“…a scene that presents us with familiar qualities one may register from reality, but when grasped, dissipate or collapse into fiction.”

The current exhibition at Ferdinand Baumann Gallery, Purple Unicorn, celebrates impermanence and duality, while drawing attention to the essentially performative quality of modern life. In Julie Béna’s latest solo show, she presents a mosaic collage of metal framed material, evoking women’s evening dresses that have been trapped and recontextualized.

Typical of her site specific approach, Béna uses the bright window frames to evoke a fashion shop display, and yet the surprising introduction of organic elements adds a rather sinister tone. With a snake emerging from an elegantly draped shawl, one piece of fabric is simultaneously acting to attract, repulse, cover and expose. How can subtle manipulation transform these potentialities? Is it a peep-show or a spider web? Who is in control?

At the same time, the reference to the mythical unicorn suggests something one step removed from grounded reality. As curator Christina Gigliotti states in the accompanying text, “It is said that even if a unicorn is captured, it can never be tamed. I understand this as meaning unicorns retain their mystery even when found out, which is probably why they could never exist.” Hinting at a fantasy world just beyond our reach, this notion of make believe is present in a lot of Béna’s work and highlights her investigation into the motivations and meaning behind human beings capacity for imagination.

In a similar vein, the hide and seek element of the arrangements suggest a fascination with the way people go about engineering their own enjoyment and entertainment. The unconventional way these garments are displayed draws attention to the fact that, with varying degrees of success, we invest great creative resources in trying to generate and sustain pleasure in our lives.

As always, Béna’s work celebrates and dwells in subtly. Plants, animals, shells, everything becomes intertwined as the alluring notions of hallucination and deception mingle with tangible expressions of natural life. A dream-like mood dominates as we perceive these items displayed in seeming harmony yet nevertheless at rational odds.

Of course, no one would disagree that there is not, at times, pleasure to be found in illusion. The swaths of material serve not only as allusions to the rituals of theatre but also as veils between the various worlds and realities we inhabit.

Operating between truth and fantasy, we attempt to create or express something of our personal experience and to imbue it with meaning… all the while knowing it will remain arbitrary and enigmatic. In this exhibition, the manifestations of these urges have been contained, restrained and put on display to allow us to reflect on their meaning. What does this tension between concealment and exposure in fact indicate? Why do we simultaneously seek to reveal all our secrets while remaining mysterious?

KASIA FUDAKOWSKI: Meat in Window, Worried by a Wasp

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Megan.Flottorp

FUTURA

Artist: Kasia Fudakowski

Curator: Michal Novotný

16. 04. 2016- 05. 06. 2016

A delightfully clever collection of sculptural phenomenon, Meat in Window, Worried by a Wasp, presents a selection of works by British/ Polish artist, Kasia Fudakowski. Working with comic theory and the structural formation of various forms of humour, Fudakowski explores the contradictions and contrast which are a fundamental component of any successful joke.

Highlighting the discrepancy between the initial imagined situation from which a joke takes it starting point, and the reversal that must take place for its success, Fudakowski plays with the fickle nature of expectations and surprise. Her work acknowledges our shifting perspective and tendency toward arbitrary categorization. In general, her work in an investigation into the way we negotiate the various tensions we are forced to encounter in our day to day lives.

Raised in Surprise, Lowered in Disbelief

Her sculptural translation of jokes and humour allows us to enjoy the subtlety of successful humour, that is often taken for granted. Her work draws attention toward the quickness with which we are willing to assign degrees of meaning and characteristics to objects, which they don’t inherently contain.

How do we respond when faced with an item that seems to be lacking the function we are used to attributing to it? Here we see how Fudakowski explores emotions and associations, and the often baseless origins from which they arise.

From the Memory Mattress series

This lack of origin necessarily results in a degree of anxiety, which by definition is a sort of floating signifier- producing something from nothing. In this sense, anxiety is imbued with a special power, capable of provoking pleasurable, as well as miserable discomfort. Fudakowski says that a joke is a “cloak of invisibility”. It affords us a degree of separation from difficult situations.

Have you been eating well?

Fudakowski’s preoccupation with the fear of failure, which she has parodied as an artistic-comic attitude, becomes ironically real and gives a vivid and critical picture of the stereotypical masculine system which we inhabit. Speaking towards the increasing over-lap between the realms of art and comedy, these works engage in the same kind of deconstruction that distinguishes most good comedy. Through a series of investigations, examinations, or simple presentation, Fudakowski exposes the essentially awkward element that characterizes so much of our lives.

Ex-Boyfriends’ Hard-Drives

If existential questions arise- accept them, that’s fine too. The point is not to solve the contradiction, but to delight in the satisfaction that is to be found by acknowledging its presence. The hope is not to resolve the anxiety or the awkwardness, but to recognize that we are just as capable of laughing in its face as cowering at its authority.

Intermarium

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Megan.Flottorp

FUTURA

Artists: Chto delat, Grupa Azorro, IRWIN, Pavla Malinova, Svätopluk Mikyta, Rafani, Little Warsaw + film Walser by Zbigniew Libera

Curators: Łukasz Białkowski & Piotr Sikora

26. 01- 27. 03. 2016

An ambitious and highly relevant project, “Intermarium,” currently on display at FUTURA, is an exhibition addressing phantasms and images employed by Central European countries when they wish to define their position towards Western Europe and other countries of the region. A group show, containing several art collectives as well as individual artists, the structure speaks to the importance of collaboration and discussion in addressing issues of identify formation.

Considering the ongoing discussion regarding the role of historiography and political activism, as they relate to contemporary art, “Intermarium” acts as a provocative springboard for discussion. Often tongue in cheek, the works presented here all demonstrate an awareness of art’s activist potential, suggesting problematic conclusions for how it relates to history . The project attempts to sketch the specificity of each of the former Eastern block countries through the prism of their image of themselves, their role and position towards other European states, as well as their aspirations, contradictions, and common interests.

The project took as its starting point Ziemowit Szczerek’s “Rzeczpospolita Zwycięska” [“The Victorious Republic”], a book that tells an alternative story of the Second World War. Szczerek based his narrative on authentic plans for the development of Poland drafted in the interwar period by politicians, urban planners, and economists. Making references to the economic situation and geopolitical conditions of the period, Szczerek constructs a vision of Poland that joins forces with the Allies in 1939 and wins the September Campaign. Subsequently, Poland becomes a leader in the region. It joins with Slovakia into one state, and then constructs a confederacy together with Czech Republic and Hungary, Lithuania, Romania and Yugoslavia. This way, Poland creates a political entity that sentimentally re-enacts the Golden Age of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the “intermarium,” a country that stretches “in-between two seas.”

The story serving as an apt and relevant starting point, this exhibition takes on a life of its own as we start to feel that, as in Szczerek’s tale, the history can never be captured at the moment it occurs—or after. Questioning how we record and classify events, we realize that even the historians themselves can only estimate the discrepancy between the event and its documentation. Yet, in a way, their inference only compounds the disparity between history and its recording, as no historian manages to get things right exactly. In other words, in drawing attention to this problematic relationship, the exhibition also draws attention to how history is written as opposed to actual historical events. Rather than writing an unwritten history, the work presented here could be broadly classified as art that aims to write the writing of history.

(Chot Delat?)

Using a specific historic event as an example, The Chto Delat? contribution, the film Partisan Songspiel, merges political theory, art, and activism. The starting point of Partisan Songspiel: A Belgrade Story (2009) is the actual situation of political oppression of the Roma people by the municipality of Belgrade during the sommer Universiade in 2009 to, in the end, express a more universal message about oppressors and the oppressed in today’s post war Serbia.

As we see, many of the artists working in these regions are using art as a means of relation and it often becomes a tool for research on issues related to history and national identity. This exercise necessarily takes a number of forms, and we see many represented in this exhibition, which presents examples of aesthetics verging on art and propaganda, typical of totalitarian systems.

(IRWIN)

The works by IRWIN, for example, function in a complex and subtle way with connections between art and ideology. Their work brings together art historical references, with symbols taken from religion or totalitarian political systems, for example from the Nazi era or from Soviet social realism. Demonstrating that different symbols have different meanings depending on place and time, the works interrogate the meaning of these symbols. This method means that in order to understand the meaning and function of a symbol one needs to investigate its origin. A reconstruction of the meaning of the symbol implies that the meaning of the symbol is changed retrospectively through the fact that IRWIN juxtaposes and appropriates the symbols into new contexts.

(Little Warsaw)

In terms of re-contextualizing our collective history (or memory), more subtle works like this piece pictured above by Little Warsaw, suggest that the goal is not a counter-memory, but an investigation of the ways in which memory is produced; or rather, an interrogation of discursive formations constituting any archive as a compendium of present knowledge.

Exploring history and its interpretations, the collective consciousness and established visual languages and traditions, these works serve as analysis of society’s engagement with history. The role of the artist, is this context, is a creator of images, objects, or situations that disrupt the historical context, which is often taken for granted. Further embedded in the notion that the reception of works of art as a dynamic process, one that is subject to changing sociopolitical realities, the displacement of context serves to generate a (new) collective awareness of what has into obscurity or was never perceived in the first place is the re- or novel contextualization of monuments and artistic artifacts. The desire for simultaneous personal and historical closure is conflated and then rendered, at times, sadly comical in a search to find a way of addressing a past that continually haunts, and displaces, the present.

The energy of “Intermarium” is intense, it seems that the radicalism of the artistic groups taking part in the exhibition stems from the need to move outside the ongoing conflict between the East and the West. The awareness of the hitch of Central Europe comes back as a hope to re-contextualize totalitarian symbols, reveries of power, national authorities and history as a sphere of manipulation of the present and construction of visions for the future.

Camille Henrot | The Pale Fox

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

05.09–01.11.2015

KÖNIG GALERIE

The much acclaimed work of Camille Henrot provides gratifying material for one to approach from a variety of philosophical or theoretical perspectives. Establishing an apparent awareness of current information and communication theories, as well as an acute interest in mythological and cross-cultural references, her work is ripe subversion. Interrogating conventional notions of order and authenticity, it provides significant reflections in the context of recent developments in structural and post-structuralist thought.

Yet despite the opportunity for high-brow philosophizing, I find the most intriguing aspect of her work to be this rejection of pedantic referencing in order to engage with the complex reality of the world we live in. In the face of the resistance to narrativity, so prominent in the world of contemporary art, Henrot shines shamelessly bright as a storyteller; one capable of conveying some brilliantly enigmatic meditations of the human condition. Although not a storyteller in any traditional sense, for the account found here is by no means conventional, she presents work that encourages misunderstanding and subsequent re-interpretation, producing abundant material in a wonderfully allegorical way.

Her most recent work, “The Pale Fox”, currently on display in its forth manifestation at Berlin’s KÖNIG GALERIE, presents an investigation into the creative process that extends to the larger concerns of Creation proper. The artist appears to be continuing her inquiry into how what happens in the artist’s studio correspond to the universe’s capacities for generating life and absorbing its decay.

The title of the exhibition is a mythological reference taken from an influential anthropological study of the Dogon people of Mali. Co-authored by Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen, and published by the latter in 1965, the study revealed the centrality of the creation myth for the Dogon people, serving as a blueprint for all facets of society. Within this myth a fox, borne of thwarted intercourse with the earth, represents disorder and chaos but also creation, bringing about the formation of the sun.

Henrot uses this information as a springboard from which to illustrate the misunderstandings that take place during the process of cultural appropriation, as well as demonstrate how these misunderstandings can be fruitful on their own terms. The product she creates is immersive; upon entry ambient music envelops the viewer, initiating them into a total environment. Her expansive story remains structured through firm corresponding points of orientation; the west wall is Air, the north, Water. East is Earth, and south Fire. That being said, these “structural” formations are quickly revealed as illusive and the viewer must uncover their own formation through which to engage with the work.

Despite the charm of the understated chaos which the installation evokes, one of the most rewarding aspects of it is the subtle sense of coherence conveyed by the arrangement of objects. The nature of the dialogue is necessarily complex and multi-folded, yet the presence of a dialogue is immediately discernible and that is what allows such a variety of things to possess such assured meaning. In dynamic juxtaposition to a feeling of uncertain anxiety, there is a sense of deliberate orchestration that provides the work with such a fascinating quality. The viewer wants to continue unfolding the story.

Henrot’s archival accumulation of objects and images intentionally evokes the notion of vast museum collections. Yet in response to the ambivalent tone that the institutionalization of objects can produce, the artist here seeks to come to terms with the unresolved complexity or presenting objects in an intentional conglomerate way. Her emphasis on particularity allows the objects and images to interact compellingly with one another, while maintaining their individual aura.

She plays with the rampant contradictions of how we arrange things and problematizes the assumed norms of organizational aesthetics. Most of the bronzes in “The Pale Fox” were conceived out of this process in which we try to introduce rationality to something that is fundamentally irrational. A large-scale tape dispenser, for example, indicates this inadequacy.

Of course her story is one very much concerned with the exploration of limits, meaning that the viewer is the one who can decide how far to take it. At one moment, it forces one into confrontation with a shocking and seemingly relentless mirror, at the next it opens the alternative of looking through an expansive peep-hole that suggests access to a infinity of other realms and options. Therefore, the narrativity I suggested earlier is necessarily rhythmic; meaning comes and goes with a equity of ease. This sort of experience, of inhabiting multiple realities simultaneously, requires a degree of submission on behave of the viewer. Although potentially confusing at first, and necessarily uncomfortable, I think it is this aspect of her work which provides the most profound impact.

As the pale fox does in the Dogon myth, Henrot’s work reminds us that we need to continue with the dance. This immediacy provides the impetus that makes the show so engaging. You want to stay in it, you want to keep discovering and learning from it. Maybe not traditional narrative, but perhaps a form of story-telling that is much more important in our info-saturated society. One immediately recognizes upon entering this space that the chaos is not a negation of meaning. It somehow indicates the wonder (and horror) with which contemporary existence is simultaneously gifted and tainted. We take pleasure in hearing the stories we’ve heard before, and that is exactly what Henrot gives us; yet it is her unique dis-figuration of these narratives that makes her work so rewarding.

Interpreter I & Anna Hulačová

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

A cooperative project by Jiří Příhoda & Anna Hulačová

Hunt Kastner Gallery

12. 09. 2015- 17. 10. 2015

Following a long tradition of supporting artists who work well as a duo, Hunt Kastner’s current exhibition presents a cooperative project by Jiří Příhoda & Anna Hulačová. Demonstrating the gallery’s enduring commitment to approaching the independent scene from a open-minded perspective, resisting the temptation to fall victim to merely commercial ambition, this particular exhibition also emphasis the art of collaboration itself.

Defined initially by the role of Hulačová’s former teacher, for this exhibition, Příhoda also assumes the duty of curator, exhibition architect and fellow artist. We see the “perspective of the teacher” as he watches his student progress.

Hulačová is primarily a sculptor, and has been consistently recognized for her innovative approach to Czech folk tradition, informed by the aesthetic experience and rituals associated with the countryside, where she grew up. Working with a combination of natural and industrial materials, Hulačová demonstrates a respect for traditional craft while engaging in a series of various games and shifts, making her work unique. Her art also contains references to Asian art, art brut, science fiction and classical mythology. It is often mysterious, searching and seems to be motivated by a belief in universal archetypes. She continually crosses borders, introducing new elements while borrowing enthusiastically from the past, re-proposing ancient conventions, that although we have preserved physically, may not yet be fully understood.

Together with Příhoda, they have created an exhibition that seeks to capture a universal essence, and by translating it through a highly informed approach to folk art tradition, make it easier to comprehend. Emanating sincerity and conscientiousness, the works contain a deliberate descriptiveness while incorporating an abstract element that necessarily engages the viewer’s imagination.

Following the post-internet trajectory- the show draws attention to the material itself and how it has traditionally been used- emphasizing the artistic potential of the stuff at hand and endowing it with a creative dimension that gives it order and meaning. Not lacking in elements of humour or irony, the exhibition also asks questions regarding how these techniques are being valued and characterized in the world of contemporary art.

The dynamic environment created by Příhoda & Hulačová, illustrates their mutual understanding and chemistry as a team. As the works presented underscore the importance and validity of preserving past conventions while constantly interrogating them in relation to emerging developments, the dialogue here suggest that the symbiotic relationship between student and teacher, in its broadest sense, remains among of the most fruitful in our society.

If only there were a place just quiet and bright, that also smelled good

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

03. 09. 2015- 20. 09. 2015

MeetFactory- Kostka Gallery

Artist: Mark von Rosenstiel (US)

Curator: Zuzana Jakalová

For the latest solo show at MeetFactory, Mark von Rosenstiel has created a sensually gripping work of art that serves as an unexpectedly ambient haven awaiting the viewer at the top of the steep flight of stairs leading to the Kostka Gallery. Making use of the intimate space, the artist has created a deeply immersive environment. Walls bare, the white cube is anchored by a glowing multi-dimensional installation, the enveloping light somehow transcending the limited space.

A conceptual artist and mathematician, von Rosenstiel is interested in exploring the potential interactions between mathematical algorithms and human emotion. His work utilizes feedback loops and technology, in an attempt to reveal some degree of the complexity of the agonizing middle ground we occupy as human beings.

Problematizing the norms of gallery observation, this particular installation draws attention to the contradictions of our own perception that we encounter every day, asking the viewer to question their assumptions and take responsibility for the act of interpretation. The work demonstrates an acute sensitivity to the dynamics of gallery encounters. With ideas and technology becoming obsolete before they have even been properly understood, the gallery space is often thought of as an attempt to create a safe haven in which to preserve some degree of meaning long enough so that it might be appreciated.

In addition to this, the eternity suggested in our exhibition space is ostensibly that of artistic posterity, of underlying beauty, of the masterpiece. But in fact, it is a specific sensibility, with specific limitations and conditionings, that is so glorified. By suggesting eternal ratification of a certain sensibility, the while cube suggests the eternal ratification of the claims or the caste or group sharing that sensibility. The fact that these “sensibilities” refer to something that probably doesn’t exists, we can see where this would lead in terms of problematic viewer relations. The underlying complexity of this installation speaks to a simple yet radical point: the gallery space is not a neutral container, but a historical construct. Furthermore, it is an aesthetic object in and of itself.

Therefore, despite maintaing an initially docile environment, there is an unsettling element present in the work. The more time one spends with this work, the more it reveals its impetus. The temporary nature of the event becomes striking, the melting wax dropping dramatically onto the wooden palates- reminding the viewer that it will eventually run out.

What does it mean that this specific combination of elements evokes a certain response? Of course, the artist leaves it to the viewer decide, resulting in the somewhat uncomfortable and potentially difficult process of reflection that good art should evoke. A fundamental moment of the exhibition becomes a question: can we identify and control even the simplest idea without interpreting it through the lens of our personal perception or cultural predisposition?

Typical of his work, this installation also has a lengthy title attached to it. This, at first, seems to suggest a narrative approach to interpretation, then again, perhaps that is missing the point. As the curatorial text suggests — Instead of all of the questions and potential answers would it be possible to to stop the philosophical exercise and just experience the place? After all, it’s a place so quiet and bright, which also smells good.

Why Can’t Minimal

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

06. 08. 2015- 18. 10. 2015

Contemporary Calgary- Steven Avenue Location

Exhibiting Artists: John Boyle-Singfield, Tammi Campbell, Liza Eurich, Louise Lawler, Jennifer Marman & Daniel Borins, John Marriott, Ken Nicol, Jon Sasaki, John Wood & Paul Harrison

Curator: John G. Hampton

Minimalism wasn’t a real idea- it ended before it started. – Sol LeWitt

Why Can’t Minimal, the current exhibition on show in Contemporary Calgary’s Stephen Avenue location, seeks to expose and engage the humorous side of minimal art. By uncovering the latent absurdity lurking beneath its cold exterior, this particular collection of works invites the viewer to adapt an intuitive response to a style that has traditionally been dominated by formal concerns. Utilizing the potential of CC’s multi-level facility, the selected art works interact and play off one another in a delightfully dynamic way. Curator John G. Hampton’s ambition was to create a show that “rejects the assumption that minimal art requires solely serious, solemn contemplation, and embrace the personal pleasure that occurs when one has fun with the comically utopian ambitions of unitary forms.” Conceptual value aside, these works alternatively suggest recognition through a playful and individually engaged response- free from the burden or attaining rational comprehension.

As Hampton acknowledges early on in his accompanying text, the show is not intended to make you laugh out loud and getting in on some inside joke is not the point either. These works seek to acknowledge and overcome the aspects of minimalism that can be intimidating. As the aforementioned quote by LeWitt indicates- even the early minimalists didn’t necessarily anticipate the deliberate response that their work received. A lot of the congestion surrounding minimalism can be blamed on the literature that has arisen as a result of it. It is rather ironic that a movement known as minimalism, a style characterized by extreme restraint in the use of colour and form, and the employment of simple geometrical, often repetitive, motifs, has inspired some of the most notably convoluted commentary of contemporary criticism. Amidst the muddle, it can be difficult to pinpoint the real impetus behind these works and far easier to fall victim to intellectual entrapment.

Not that pinpointing anything is necessarily the point, nor is exposing any inherent flaw with the ideology of minimalism, as it were. Therefore, it was important to Hampton that the works selected employed humour rather than irony towards the subject of their inquiry. Several of the works contain direct references to their predecessors, yet the spirit they evoke is one of good-natured solidarity rather than high-caliber critique. Despite the fact that much could be said of John Boyle-Singfield’s revised choice of liquid for his adaptation of Hans Haacke’s prorto-minimalist Condensation Cube, Untitled (Coke Zero), Hampton suggests, “a light-hearted viewer may simply appreciate the novelty of its absurdist form without searching for any articulable thesis.”

That being said, this exhibition might claim to be light-hearted, but many of the works contain references that extend beyond a recognition of levity and sentiment. Addressing other suspicions of the short-comings of minimalist philosophy, Hampton includes works that directly confront accusations of the “theatricality” of its physical nature and the problem of a conspicuous masculinity at work in minimalist philosophy.

(John Boyle-Singfield, Untitled (Coke Zero), 2012)

The accusation that minimalism transformed the viewing into a type of spectacle (put forth most notably by Michael Fried), is addressed directly in the comic performance Six Boxes, where John Wood and Paul Harrison enact the physical viewing drama in all of its glory. The pleasure one receives through watching a mechanical body interacting with human-scale forms through complementary spatial relationships is not gratuitous, as the familiarity of the event is genuine.

In regard to addressing a feminine response to minimalism, Hampton includes important works by four women artists. In particular, Louise Lawler’s Birdcalls (1972) serves as an ideal means by which to bridge the gap between the mostly male minimalists of the 1970s and their contemporaries. A six minute roll call that underscores problems of gender and privilege in the art economy- the work (the artist’s only audio piece) consists of Lawler playfully mocking the privilege of male artists – including many of her contemporaries, such as Vito Acconci, Dan Graham, Ed Ruscha, and Lawrence Weiner – by transforming their names into birdcalls. Yet the work, in its explicit irony and eschewal of the visual, represents not only a turning point in 1970s feminist art production, but a critical model that resonates with contemporary production and curatorial practice that don’t adhere to the notion of a fixed site.

Lawler’s piece plays on the ability of sound to occupy many spaces, sometimes simultaneously, including the gallery, cassette tape, the image, the printed word, and cultural spheres of linguistics, gender, economics, and politics. The fact that the nature of a soundpiece overcomes the conventional boundaries of the gallery speaks to the larger vision of the exhibition, which seems to aim at overcoming the “ideology” of the gallery as well.

(Louise Lawler, Birdcalls, 1972)

Whether explicitly re-shaping the structural dynamics inside the gallery, or introducing a new perspective on the role of humour and play within the gallery, each of these works somehow challenges traditional notions of presence before, and relationship to, a work of art. That being said, in considering these works, it is necessary to evaluate their impact from a relative perspective, being careful to address how effective they can actually be with the current gap that exists between art creation and reception. Is it too much to expect the viewer to find humour in the revealing of the innate quality of the materials used? Does this exhibition, in fact, remind us that reality does not conform to the rules of etiquette?

Yet, as the works themselves suggest, perhaps the preoccupation with these questions is itself the problem. In his introductory text, Hampton sites Deleuze and Guattari in stating that the practice of art is to “raise the absurd to the highest level of thought.” Typical of their idiom, this is an ambiguous statement, and yet their larger philosophical approach to art, that it is “beyond signification” is exactly what this exhibition is about. Minimalism, and the turn it represents, is away from straightforward signifying strategies and away from a certain kind of politics of art might be characterized as a turn (back) to the aesthetic potential of art.

This is not necessarily to reinstate a transcendent space for art, to position it in an ‘elsewhere’ or to suggest that it transports us to an ‘elsewhere’, but it is to say that art is more than just an object to be read. There is also something that remains, “an excess” (to use Deleuzian terms) that is ultimately “irreducible to signification.”

(John Wood and Paul Harrison, Six Boxes, 1997)

Then again – we need not overcomplicate matters- it is important to acknowledge that there has always been a humanizing aspect to the practice of minimalist art, as it sought to reduce the complexities of various crafts and bring them back to the people. As the curator suggests, if the show has made you smile, laugh, or you’ve simply found it “pretty”, then that is enough. This unexpected injection of light-heartedness into the gallery can almost be unsettling at first, but quickly reminds us not to take ourselves (or art) too seriously.

We are prompted to maintain an organic approach to experiencing and interpreting art in dialogue with the society we live our daily lives in. Maybe it’s not so much that minimalism was over before it started, but rather, that it is more relevant than ever. In a world that seems to have lost sight of the art of subtlety and the practice of restraint, perhaps understated works that quietly provoke humour are exactly what we need in the gallery. The white cube doesn’t need to be a place of alienation and Why Can’t Minimal questions why we create a schism between the natural and the constructed, in a way suggesting that we become more broadly responsible for our own relationship to art. In a sense these works remind us that it is only a matter of choice to see them as burdened by the weight of cognitive labour- perhaps the virtue they really emit is an acknowledgement of the levity of human fallibility. Resisting the ideologically saturated environment of the gallery space, this show is presented with fewer distractions that interfere with the purely attractive and engaging aspects of minimal art, allowing the works to open themselves to a larger range of interpretation- as defined uniquely by each individual.

Dominique Pétrin: Three Withdrawal Movements for an ATM

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

06. 11. 2015- 08. 02. 2015

Contemporary Calgary- City Hall Location

Dominique Pétrin’s current installation at Contemporary Calgary’s City Hall location is an astute and energetic investigation into the way patterns affect, direct, and ultimately define contemporary culture. Following her convention of using ambiguous yet evocative exhibition titles, the name this installation goes by introduces issues regarding the monotony of contemporary society, while craftily suggesting that there is something else at play. Typical of the Montreal-based artist’s work, the sensitivity to colour combination and dedication to large-scale execution results in an environment capable of producing altered states of consciousness and perception, through visual and cognitive illusion.

Her fearless approach to creating all-consuming space specific works indicates her awareness of the reality that, in the fiercely competitive realm of contemporary art and culture- modesty no longer exists. Her work serves as a commentary on our fixation with blatant advertising and psychological manipulation, analyzing the effects of colour and pattern on human emotion. Intellectual without being pretentious, her whimsical creations interpret and interact with the complex reality of the world we live in. Ditching the highbrow to embrace the low, her playful approach avoids taking things too seriously, while sustaining a deep commitment to cultural critique.

Her familiarity with colour, pattern, and design theory is immediately evident and the way she contrasts flat patterning and ornament would undoubtedly prove fascinating for designers the world over. Pixels and stripes merge with seemingly spontaneous cosmic designs, allowing the psychedelic repetition to create a hypnotic effects that immediately engages the viewer.

(The Storefront, 2013)

In addition to a nuanced approach to design theory, her work demonstrates an acute awareness of information and communication theory. Hyper-relevant to the post-internet & post-information discussion so present in today’s discussion of contemporary art, Pétrin’s environments are not only visually captivating but speak to a deeply sophisticated philosophical underpinning. Significant in the context of the recent re-popularization of structuralist and post-structuralist theory, her work emerges in interesting dialogue with a systems theory approach to art, which argues that the only thing a system can will is to self-reproduce.

According to this trajectory, communication becomes an operation that continuously repeats itself and in the realm of art, “systemic” concepts conclude that every image produced seems to appear spontaneously; it is only when they manifest as series and variations do they reveal and depict their meaning. This sensibility is certainly present in Pétrin’s work, and she takes a step further by juxtaposing patterns in direct and often jarring ways.

That being said, appreciation and engagement with Pétrin’s work need not be entirely abstract. Her installations also invoke a musicality and rhythm and through the repetition of motifs and an emphasis on the physicality of colours, she creates a strong dialogue between the images, their support and configuration. She explains the impact of these visual demands as, “putting the spectator’s body in an unstable position: between pleasure and displeasure, immersed in a feeling of vertigo similar to a light state of intoxication.” This is reinforced by the monumental character of the installation.

(The Gala, 2012)

Digital kitsch on steroids, Pétrin’s immersive installations bring the analog experience to the physical realm. Her work, which has been likened to walking into a gif, radiates excess and exuberance. Her ability to draw on a vast array of visual vocabularies demonstrates that the worlds she creates are informed by an in-depth understanding of elements that structure optical, as well as psychological experience. In our time, characterized by the abundance of infinitely reproducible digital images and a wide range of software for processing them, the technique used by the artists, to mechanically print material before going on to cut them out and paste them, is a way of further problematizing the discussion around new media art and mass production. Big, bold, and over-flowing with visual and cognitive stimuli, in a climate of post- everything trends, Pétrin’s post-modest approach to her craft puts her firmly one step ahead of the game.

Blake Little: New West

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

07. 02. 2015 – 07. 26. 2015

Contemporary Calgary – Stephen Avenue Location

Curator: Wayne Baerwaldt

(John Rasmussen / Arrowwood, AB)

A show aptly timed to coincide with the world-famous Calgary Stampede, Contemporary Calgary‘s current program presents a thematically dynamic exhibition depicting the lives of rural Albertans. A solo project by Los Angeles- based artist Blake Little, the show consists of more than 175 photographic portraits which were taken during the summer of 2012.

The series consists of a collection of portraits that are romantic, compelling, and a little unsettling. The photos capture the wonder of the contemporary rural lifestyle in all of its contradictions. Glamorous Stampede cowboys and cowgirls are presented along with young families, elderly ranchmen and aboriginal horsemen. Possessing an unexpectedly painterly quality, the photographs demonstrate Little’s sophisticated use of lighting and his characteristic ability to intimately capture the energy and personality of his subjects in a single glance.

(Kelly McIntyre / Calgary Stampede, Calgary AB)

Over the course of two weeks on the road with celebrated Canadian curator Wayne Baerwaldt, Little was able to meet and photograph a diverse group of subjects in Arrowwood, Airdrie, Calgary, Ponoka, and Nanton. From one community to the next, Little shot dozens of portraits. The thirty-two that were chosen by Little and Baerwaldt for this exhibition reflect a commitment to capturing the perfect moment among the subjects that fascinate him.

The faces of the elderly evoke the hardship that life on the farm entails, and the weary, yet penetrating gaze of the younger generation speaks to the turmoil of living in constant uncertainly- a quality that defines our current economic and political situation. A tone of enduring, yet fragile resilience dominates the series, while the warmth and dignity with which Little captures his subjects has a way of democratizing them, transforming them in kind of a universal way.

(The Stevenson Family / Nanton, AB)

In addition to being deeply captivating on a personal basis, these photographs capture the contradictions of rural life and the shifting connotations of what it means to be from the country. Posing questions regarding the future of these relatively isolated communities, issues of power dynamics and the often problematic relationships between urban and rural centres ultimately come into consideration.

In terms of the future of these communities, the timing of this exhibition is important – as Alberta stands at a crossroad in terms of politics and economics, it is important to consider the education and opportunities available to the residents of all the province’s diverse communities. In a socio-political climate in which there are programs in place that pay farmers not to farm, Little’s striking photographs remind the viewer of the often limited voice granted to people in rural areas.

(Les Miner / Airdrie, AB)

The implications of the time and location of the exhibition also brings to light some of the contradictions inherent in the evolving role of the Calgary Stampede, and similar events held throughout the country. Although necessarily a celebration of an important way of life, it could also be argued that in some ways, such cultural events exploit an image of rural life that is quickly disappearing, and perhaps never really existed the way we like to imagine. In this sense, Little’s photographs suggest that the only face of truth is one of constant and sometimes jarring contradiction. Reminding the viewer that the truth of the matter always lies somewhere in between both extremes, his work puts contradictory ideas in a cage together and allows them to vibrate.

That being said, the vitality emitted by the subjects suggests that these contradictions often yield productivity. The series therefore stands as an empowering, yet deeply nuanced and complex depiction of rural identity. The unique beauty of the landscape and the people is celebrated, without being impetuously glorified.

Roger Hiorns

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Megan.Flottorp

28. 05. 2015- 09. 08. 2015

Galerie Rudolfinum

Curator: David Korecký

“Art under capitalism is a good model of the freedom that posits the subject as an abstract bundle of legal rights assuring formal equality while ignoring a material reality determined by other forms of systematic inequality.” – Nicole Demby

The current exhibition at Rudolfinum Galerie presents a collection of works by British artist Roger Hiorns. A leading representative of the young generation of international artists, Hiorns’ highly ambivalent work subtly introduces imperative questions regarding the implications of “progress” in Western civilization. Although his creations demonstrate a strong influence from conceptual approaches, the visual impact of naked youth and burning fire create a very distinct post-apocalyptic aesthetic in this show.

In addition to creating a visual spectacle with many of his pieces, Hiorns’ work confronts the increasingly unavoidable tension between art and commodity, and the implications this has for individual freedom. As the aforementioned quote from scholar Nicole Demby indicates, due to geographically unique historical conditions that have conditioned capitalism’s discrepant unfolding around the globe, the abstract imaginary of the “free citizen” holds a different meaning depending on where one is located.

Hiorns investigates this notion of how the individual relates to the larger social structure in his work, with an increasing focus on the gap between what we see on the surface and what the real situation in fact is. His work acknowledges how this imaginary equality we refer to functions as an indispensable regulative myth.

He in relentless in his engagement with poignant themes and shows a strong willingness to take a stand against the changing nature of authority and power structure in today’s Euro-American civilization, including the related societal schisms. He creates an often ambiguous and always extensively layered narrative, but if one investigates beyond the surface, they will find a thoughtful and incredibly nuanced analysis of critical social issues and the fictions we’ve creates to avoid them. Hiorns reflects these myths back to the viewer, provoking such meditations as how the liberal democratic ideology tends to serve powerful nation-states where meritocratic ideals of equal opportunity enable the continued oppression (economic and otherwise) of disposable populations.

Hiorns describes his work as an exploration into how social problems can be addressed through the adaptation of objects. The utilization of real radio program broadcasting demonstrates his skill at incorporating authentic documentary material but re-contextualizing it to extend even beyond its original impact. The tension created by exhibiting a recorded history lecture with the granite dust of what was once an alter stone is powerful and dynamic.

Works of art created with this motivation express a yearning for a better world without dogmatically claiming to be the one and only truth. Hiorns’ inconsistent sculptural practice rebels against the idea of unquestioned limitation in art and, by extension, calls for a liberation of the assumed status quo on a broader sphere.

As we know, the praxis of governance veers everywhere from the ideal of a society composed of equal, rights-bearing citizens, yet the fantasy continues to shape the liberal ideologies that compel globalization. The increasingly complex dynamics within the globalized space of the art world are hitting a crisis point. Hiorns disrupts the tendency to construe art as a necessarily liberalizing force. He accepts and celebrates it’s capacity as a vehicle of cultural transmission but does not take this process for granted.

One of the fundamental virtues of such work is that it aims to question the truth presented to us by science, politics, the modern lifestyle sold to us by advertising, and the art market. Then again, as Hiorns likes to say, “I am an artist who makes art, and not art about art.”