Oh Canada
…our home and native land
The last week of August I was in New Brunswick to be in my friend’s wedding — and I took the opportunity to visit my old stomping grounds at Mount Allison University in Sackville. I managed to beat the Frosh rush by one day and spend quite a bit of time in my favourite place on campus, the Owens.
Janice Wright Cheney Widow 2012
Oh, Canada, has currently taken over the galleries and there is a lot to take in. It’s an exhibition featuring Canadian talent in an array of media. Curated by the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) it’s a landmark exhibition of ‘Art from North, North America.’ It’s a touring exhibition that will make stops across Canada, starting in the Maritimes and ending in Calgary. In total, the show includes more than 100 works from over 60 Canadian artists. For it’s eastern stop, the exhibition will show in a collaborative, multi-venue format, at the Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen at Université de Moncton, and Galerie Sans Nom, in Moncton, the Owens Art Gallery at Mount Allison University in Sackville, and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown.
One of the stars of the Owens exhibition is a foreboding bear covered in handmade roses (above). Towering in the lobby and visible from campus this fella draws curious onlookers through the door. A graduate of the BFA programme at Mount Allison, Janice Wright Cheney now lives in Fredericton, NB where she teaches at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. The bear is created on a taxidermy form and is encrusted with crocheted flowers. It’s a feast for the eyes, providing a lot of textural layers to take in.
Clint Neufeld Three Deuces 2012
The exhibition makes no claims on trying to represent every aspect of Canada. It’s a small survey of some of the great work that is being produced here. The range of subject matter, media and inspiration is immense. No two artists that are featured are working in a similar manner.
Clint Neufeld creates sculptures that deal with concepts of masculine identity. Prior to pursuing a career in art, he spent three years with the Canadian military, and was deployed to the former Yugoslavia in 1994 as part of a United Nations Peace Keeping Force. His mixed media ceramic sculptures are so intricate — no detail has been spared. Seeing objects that are usually hidden away as mechanical innards sculpted out of a pristine, delicate medium is a treat.
Kim Morgan Blood Smear #1 2014
I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for chandeliers, and this one is no exception. Hanging in the stairwell that leads to more of the exhibition, this work by Haligonian Kim Morgan is beautiful (despite it’s name). From 2005 to 2008, Morgan was the artist‐in-residence for TRLabs Regina, where she collaborated with scientists and engineers to create interactive public art, including her projects Data Spaced and Time Transit. Blood Smear #1 casts great shadows and gives off a soft warm glow that works well in the Owens.
Diane Landry Knight of Infinite Resignation 2009
This gallery was mesmerizing to sit in. Each windmill-esqu structure slowing turned with the plastic vessels full of sand. There is a rhythmic calm in this gallery. The low light that the piece emits, as well as the sound makes it a soothing place to spend some time. Diane Landry hails from Quebec City as a multidisciplinary artist, where she designs original performances, installations with automation, audio sculptures, and works she qualifies as mouvelles. See them in action here.
Gisele Amantea Remember the Ladies 2014
Now, I apologize for the extremely amateur photoshop job of the photograph above. I shot these on my phone, and it was impossible to get this entire wall into one shot, but it has to be discussed. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s an entire gallery wall that is flocked with black velvet. The work of Montreal artist Gisele Amantea, it’s sumptuous and photographs can’t do it justice (especially not when I am taking them).
You have until the 21st of September (Sunday!) to get yourselves to The Owens to check out this show. It’s free, so even students can afford to go! Make a day trip to Sackville, you can have a cheeseburger at Mel’s or a pint at Thunder & Lightning to make your trip complete. Get gallery details here, and show details here including full artist bios.
[all bio information was taken from the Oh Canada East site here]
