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)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)Get your MPD on tonight
If you want to see everything there is to see tonight, you better work your multiple personality disorder to your advantage:
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- The animations of Stefan Gruber at Monastiraki (5478 St-Laurent) tonight at 8pm. His work has fluid animation and a trippy aesthetic that echoes the nonchalant sophistication of comix artists like Ron Regé Jr.
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- Before that though, you should stop by right next door, over at Le Cagibi (5490 St. Laurent), for the vernissage of an exhibition featuring the costumes, props and photos from the in-progress short film, Smile Stealers. This is happening from 5pm to 7pm.
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- The second edition of the Montreal 60 Second Film Festival is having its (free) Registration Party down the street at La Sala Rossa (4848 boul. St-Laurent) from 8:30pm to 11:30pm. The idea is simple: the first 120 filmmakers to sign up each make a 60 second film that will be screened in september. Entertainment will include performances by Julie Lequin (of her “This American Life” submission), magician Sébastien Talbot, zoetrope workshop, screentests - not to mention doorprizes featuring original art created for M60! More info on this incredible project here.
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- For the 18th year in a row, Groupe Intervention Vidéo presents Vidéos de femmes dans le parc (VFP), showing 17 short video works by awesome ladies, including forever-mammoth-favorite Kim Kielhofner. This is happening at the Théâtre de Verdure in Parc Lafontaine, 9 pm.
June 18th: Thoday is Thrazy Thursday
Brace yourselves, there are (at least) three art openings to go to today (Thursday the 18th). They all start at 7pm, and I hope you can find a way to see everything without missing Corpusse’s performance at Zoobizarre later tonight. Details below:
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1. Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo at Galerie Push (7-9pm)
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of his intense and riveting creatures (see Kit’s post below). His Bestiairies show is staying at PUSH (5264 St. Laurent) until the 26th of July.
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2. The Emporium State of Mind (7-11pm)
The product of a collaboration between The Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest #74) and Montreal State of Mind: a “media spanning group exhibition that will exemplify Montreal State of Mind’s mission- to promote the inherent creativity of those who live in Montreal done through the Emporium Gallery’s curation”. The exhibition features the work of Fangs, Amber Albrecht, Sean Orena, Alexi Hobbs, 123Klan, RAGE5, Robb Jamieson, Kit Malo (!), Julien de Repentigny, Astro, Dave Arnold, Ben Pobjoy and Danielle Levy. They are 13 Montreal-based visual artists, who will each be exhibiting one artwork priced at a maximum of $200CAD
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3. A Red Bird Studios Group Show at General 54, 7pm
General 54 (54 St-Viateur O) is hosting a group show put up by the artist-run arts space Red Bird. The exhibition showcases the work of its diverse group of painters, sculptors, graphic designers and silk screeners, each one exploring their individual practice and methodology within the material constraints of a 10″x10″ canvas board. There will also be cake supplied by Cocoa Locale (best cupcakes in town, and I know what I’m talking about) and 10% off everything in the store!
Artists include: Sarah Courtemanche, Dan Buller, Kit Malo (!), Oksana, Rebecca Rosen, Jayce Yam, Mark Dixon, Julien Ceccaldi (!), Katie Earle, John Player, Andrea Kastner, Colin Lyons, Corrie Peterson, Kim Kielhofner, Naomi Cook, Lisa Wilson, Daniel Nessler, Rachel Berger, Becky Emlaw, Shannon Kelly, Konan Cook, and others…
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4. Where you must be after all the art and cake (Zoobizarre, 9pm)
Starting at 9pm, Suoni per il popolo presents Corpusse (TO), The Unireverse (Mtl) and Knurl (TO). There will be everything you could need by then (besides art and cake), i.e. synth action, confrontational performance and raw noise.
I’m especially looking forward to seeing Corpusse do his thing: it will be primitive hardcore punk with a synthesizer, and it will involve glitter and nice make-up. Here’s a video of his last performance at Zoobizarre (6388 St-Hubert) in October 2006.
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Filed under artists, events, gallery, illustration, local, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, vernissage, websites | Tags: 123Klan, Alexi Hobbs, Amber Albrecht, Andrea Kastner, Astro, Becky Emlaw, Ben Pobjoy, Colin Lyons, Corpusse, Corrie Peterson, Dan Buller, Daniel Nessler, Danielle Levy, Dave Arnold, Emporium Gallery, Fangs, Galerie Push, General 54, Jayce Yam, John Player, Julien Ceccaldi, Julien de Repentigny, Katie Earle, Kim Kielhofner, Kit Malo, Knurl, Konan Cook, Lisa Wilson, Mark Dixon, Naomi Cook, Oksana, Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo, Rachel Berger, RAGE5, Rebecca Rosen, Red Bird, Robb Jamieson, Sarah Courtemanche, Sean Orena, Shannon Kelly, Suoni per il popolo, The Unireverse, Zoobizarre | Comment (0)New Lova
I gotta admit I am pretty much blown away by aladda the artists at the Richard Heller Gallery.
This image here is a work by Amy Bennett, one of the people on their roster. I highly recommend spending ten minutes taking a look at the rest of the work.
Amazzzzinnng.
Filed under gallery, websites | Tags: Amy Bennett, Richard Heller | Comment (0)
