Jan. 04, 2012 - Issue #846: Year in review
Look longer, think harder
Reflections on a year of visual arts
Here is the art in Edmonton that made me want to look longer, look closer and think harder in 2011:Solo Exhibit: Gary James Joynes/Clinker, 12 Tones, Latitude 53
Latitude kicked off a strong year of programming with this powerful exhibit by Edmonton artist Joynes. This show provided more than a viewing experience—it was a powerful, overwhelming immersion in raw, tonal sound—sound seen, heard and felt through your whole body. This intensity was so well balanced by photos of sand mandalas, suggesting the meditative aspect of the art experience, each created through the vibration of one of those intense tones.
Group Exhibit: Up North, AGA
This exhibit featured Kevin Schmidt's exploration of the changing Canadian north, Jacob Dahl Jürgensen and Simon Dybroe Møller's "Flotsam and Jetsom"—which details an excursion by the artists and friends to explore a deserted island through the material remains, and convert them to music—and Ragnar Kjartansson's video work, "The End," which brings rock-star bravado into the quiet snowy Rocky Mountains. These works spoke strongly of personal connections with the land, and how sound can transform our understandings of isolated spaces. The exhibit conveyed the possibilities for innovation in the oft-explored subject of the landscape.
Public Art: Jasper Avenue Art Banners and 104th Street Colour Alley Mural
Whenever I find myself on Jasper Avenue between 97 and 109 Street, my downtown experience is enriched as I read the poem by former Edmonton poet laureate Roland Pemberton (aka Cadence Weapon), which graces the banners with imagery from local artists Tim Rechner, Anya Tonkonogy, Pearl Rachinsky and Nickelas "Smokey" Johnson. This work, as well as the "transitory topographical mural project" featuring the work of Robert Harpin, Karen Campos and Teng Cheng, just off Jasper Avenue on the east side of 104 Street, encourage creative new ways we can be thinking about and interacting with our downtown.
Collaborations and innovations inside/outside the gallery
It's important to celebrate the continued collaborations between our art organizations, such as how Latitude 53, SNAP and Harcourt House join forces each summer for DRAW. The Fast and Dirty Curatorial Collective drew people into an Edmonton backalley to see The Garage Show, garages transformed into art spaces, and Latitude 53 experimented with temporary public art in unusual outdoor spaces in the McCauley neighbourhood in In/stall/ed.
Other excellent exhibits of note
Edmonton artist Sherri Chaba's two solo exhibits, Life-Line at Harcourt House and The Silence of Chaos at the AGA, Adrian Stimson's Buffalo Boy at The Works Art & Design Festival, Lisa Rezansoff's New Prints at Latitude 53 and her show with Tim Grieco at SNAP, Eyes in the Wild.
vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
Privacy Policy:
Vue respects your privacy. We will not forward your personal information to any other organization except as required by law, and will use your e-mail address only to respond to your comments. We reserve the right to edit and remove comments for length, clarity and/or if they are illegal or inappropriate. Your email address is never shown to visitors to vueweekly.com. Read the whole policy at: http://vueweekly.com/privacy
Comments policy
Comments go online directly without first being seen or reviewed by editors at Vue. Don't personally attack people, don't be defamatory, don't be spam-atory, don't hawk your band, don't pretend to be someone else, be clear, be on topic, be nice. Read our extended comments policy here. »
We use Disqus for our comments system. What's that all about?
We found that managing the comment community at Vue was easier to do with a system like Disqus. If this isn't straightforward to you, get help here.