Adrian Norvid show pics, sans Adrian-the-Blemished-Onlooker
Adrians and their Blemish(es)
Saturday was a day spent bumping and bumbling around a few galleries, just taking in funny circumstances and enjoying the outdoors. I got a chance to see Adrian Norvid’s show at the Joyce Yahouda with what seemed like a bunch of CEGEP students yelping in the background - fortunately this did nothing to detract from the ambiance.
A further enhancement of my experience taking in Norvid’s intoxicating, uproariously hilarious work came in the form of another Adrian who had come to the gallery by chance. It’s already slightly weird when your name matches the name of the artists’ show that you find yourself in. Kind of an odd coincidence. However, this Adrian happened to have a red blemish on his nose. Sort of exactly in the spot where Adrian Norvid had drawn a blemish on his own nose in one of his works.
You can see here in this photo the intrepid Adrian-audience-member standing next to the ridiculous Blemish-drawing Adrian and how closely related their blemishes in fact are. I have circled the real life Adrian’s mark in Perez Hilton style red.
This would not happen at any other artists’ show. Guaranteed.
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: Adrian Norvid, the Joyce Yahouda Gallery | Comment (0)FIFA and I can never quite seem to meet-in-the-middle, OR: First official Frozen Mammoth RANT!
Kim Kielhofner, still from Art of the Amplifier, 2009
As always this time of year (i.e. when the buds are destroying my capacity to think of things other than the bursting of spring) FIFA is well underway and I have yet to see a single film! Oh dear. Living amidst so much possibility often equals not getting out to much - know what I mean?
Tonight, as part of one of the Festival’s short programs, is a series of videos entitled Infiltrations (1 and 2), and it’s chock full of local artists’ work. Indeed, Diane Obomsawin, Kim Kielhofner and Victoria Stanton are just three of my favourites that have short pieces in the mix.
While I look forward to these films, I am not shocked that I often overlook this festival. I was brought up, like many folks I know, on Western European art and studied it on my own-some out of an avid love for the visual world. Yet I chalk my narrowness of scope up to where I come from, (a small town in Ontario) where wanting to know about art history at all was considered very, very suspect. The idea that this history could contain a richness-beyond-description from all corners of the world wasn’t something I encountered until as a grown up I became stubborn about expanding my aesthetic knowledge and sensibilities.
So while I do appreciate much of the subject matter of the FIFA program, I find it very limiting. It seems to be far too Western European focused to be called an International festival. Perhaps it should be re-named FIFAWE - International Festival of Films on Western European Art.
I am realizing now as I write how important it seems to open the scope of the festival. Very little is about contemporary work, the work of women, the work of anyone but old, dead white dudes (for the most part)…
And like I said, I am excited for some of it - I can’t wait to go see 2 films on Rembrandt and Caravaggio, respectively. There’s a short on Vermeer that I am eager about. Yet I suppose I am a wee surprised/disappointed that only 2 short film programs seem to be answering a need to diffuse film and video by and about a diverse pool of contemporary artists.
Or how cool would it be to every year have a focus on a specific area, or country? Art of the Middle East from the 19th century, for example. I refuse to believe that there aren’t films/interests out there that would allow this type of festival to become what it says it is, which is International.
Ok. Rant over. Tonight at 9pm at the Cinematheque Quebecoise promises to be one of the events with more contemporary programming. I shall be there, sitting shame-faced due to that it’s the first event I’ll be going to. Or perhaps shame-faced that it took me so long to realize why I’ve never invested in FIFA deeply. Thankfully, like the rest of the salle, I will be absorbed in darkness, so no one else will see the burning of my cheeks.
Filed under events, festival, local | Tags: Diane Obomsawin, FIFA, Kim Kielhofner, rant, Victoria Stanton | Comment (0)Celebrations, my dear friends, always come in pairs.
Or, well…maybe not. BUT if I was attempting to turn this invented phrase into actual expression, I’d go to PUSH gallery tonight. It is officially re-opening, with Nadia Moss as the artist in charge of drawing us all down to its new headquarters at the Belgo Building. Two things to celebrate indeed.
Megan Bradley, the director of PUSH (wherever it may roam) has done an amazing job curating a show guaranteed to bring folks out of the woodwork and into her new abode. Nadia Moss’ work has always been enriching and worthwhile. It’s dream-like, half-creepy-half-comforting beast drawings done right.
For years there’s been a fractured movement of illustrators whose themes revolve around wolves-eating-wolves-munching-on-dogs-turning-into-people. You’ve seen this work. You know what I’m talking about. It’s an interesting phenomena to have watched unfold. Yet it’s never quite grabbed me by the seat of my pants, or anywhere for that matter.
Some of my favourite artists could be placed into this category if surrounded by a lazy audience. But their work manages to emerge as something altogether unique and important. They create their own language and sentiment from the medium. Nadia Moss has always been an artist I consider from this vantage point.
The most exciting part about this PUSH opening is that she’s really working it right now. The work for PUSH is going to be really intriguing - taking a look at her flckr site gives me notions of colour and layers that I have yet to see from her. The compositional spaces seem to be (perhaps) even more stripped down. This I suspect might be a turning point in her present development. I fully intend to ask her tonight.
The opening is a 6-9pm gig, and PUSH is now located at 372 Rue Ste Catherine, Suite 425. Hope to see you there.
Filed under art shows, gallery, illustration, local | Tags: Belgo Building, Galerie Push, Megan Bradley, Nadia Moss | Comment (0)If I was only able to click my heels three times to come home…
I would go to this amazing sounding screening tomorrow. Alas, I am not Dorothy (or perhaps, in the end, that’s a good thing, really) and as I will be away this weekend, it will be impossible to attend. For me. But you, perhaps, aren’t in the same dilemma and never had an obsession with the Wizard of Oz.
Picture of Light is a short documentary from the mid-90’s shot in 16 and 35mm. As a part of the Leonard and Bina Ellen gallery exhibition going on right now until April 17th, Magnetic Norths, it seems like a perfect way to say goodbye to winter.
Not only does the subject matter seem amazing - it’s a documentary about a film crew’s journey to the Arctic to capture the beauty of the Northern Lights on film - it also seems that as a director, Peter Mettler imbues his work with a humour and intimacy that transforms potentially over-dramatic themes into personal and accessible meditations.
The cherry on the sundae however is that Jim O’Rourke, one of my favourite modern musicians, composed the soundtrack….arrrgggh. I can no longer write in full sentences. I am just making weird sounds of frustration due to not being able to attend. Seriously. This is super annoying. Because I have a feeling it’s going to be a really, really special film.
Everything interesting that I can’t be present for happens this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the de Seve cinema in the Library building at Concordia. That’s the one across from the Hall building. Closest to Guy metro. On de Maisonneuve. Where I will never go again in order to not be reminded of what I missed. Sniff sniff sniff.
Filed under video | Tags: documentary, Jim O'Rourke, Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Magnetic Norths, Peter Mettler, Picture of Light | Comment (0)Get Your Art Souterrain On
For the next few weeks, there’s an amazing conference going on that anyone interested in local art organizations, artists and practices should try to get to when they can. Started yesterday and ends the 13th of March.
It’s Art Souterrain, and it seems like a giant extension of Nuit Blanche insanity.
The website is here: while I don’t have tons of time right now to go over the roster of who’s speaking when and where and how and why, I do have the time to suggest you look over the schedule.
Some of my local favourites who’ll be yakking and performing include En Masse, Celine B. La Terreur, Alana Riley, 2Fik and Eric Bolduc. But go see folks you don’t know and be amazed by their prowess, skill and hotness. And send me pictures.
More about the event when I am not rushing out the door madly in search of cheeseburgers.
Filed under art talk, artists, conference, events, local, profiles | Tags: 2Fik, Alana Riley, Art Souterrain, celine b la terreur, En Masse, Eric Bolduc, nuit blanche, ratsdeville | Comment (0)Secret Agent Norvid At it Again…
I swear that my love of Adrian Norvid’s work is not only based in an appreciation for humour that resides in the ridiculous (e.g. the “spit it out” & “suck it up” milk container duo as seen above, Art Pop 2009). Although, to be honest, this element of his practice definitely endears me to it eternally, being a resident of Ridiculous myself.
Yet Norvid manages to always go beyond the instant pun or play-on-words with an almost mystical ability to imbue his drawings, sculptures and objects with a deeper sense of loss, of lamentation and of joy. And I am not being trite here, I truly mean that. Picture your uncle, the one you only ever saw during family vacations. The fellow whose face only comes to mind with the help of old photographs. Who always made you feel at home, smuggling warm candies from his pockets into greedy, grubby hands. With that way of shouting ironic phrases at adults that seemed like hilarious jokes for the kids.
At the time, he was just Crazy (re: amazing, awe-inspiring) Uncle Charley. Now, looking back on those moments, you see that he carried with him an incredible sadness and joy for life that likely few felt as deeply.
Adrian Norvid’s work is Crazy Uncle Charley, as art. For me, anyway.
I strongly recommend you go and find out if you feel similar. Norvid’s got a new exhibition up (the opening was early on the night of Nuit Blanche) at the Joyce Yahouda gallery. I always find her programming interesting, and it’s high time you went back to the Belgo sans enough-people-to-create-a-giant-finnish-sauna-in-the-hallway, n’est pas?
His latest show, Wrongo, is a:
burgeoning collection of epic, large format drawings, massed hangings of smaller, poster-like works, rangy paper constructions and laconic found objects…
It runs until the 27th of March. It is ripe with themes of inappropriate behaviour. Take a date and do something nasty in the gallery while it’s up already. You have a month to find someone suitable.
Filed under artists, gallery, local | Tags: 60's swag, 70's instruments, Adrian Norvid, the Joyce Yahouda Gallery | Comment (1)
