THE POWERPLANT GALLERY
This unique gallery is located in Toronto near the water on 231 Queens Quay West
This wonderful art gallery formerly used as an actual power plant, yet beautifully transformed into a house of contemporary art, has some features that I wholeheartedly adore. For instance I love that it does not actually have its own collection of art. It simply displays other artists’ pieces, and when their shows are over they take these works with them, and new displays by different artists’ are installed.
Also the industrial feeling I encountered as I took my first step into the gallery is too quite pleasant. This manufactured feeling resonates throughout the building due to the existing elements of the original plant carefully considered and left. I feel that these sometimes subtle architectural elements help to accentuate the modernity in which the building is attempting to portray.
Currently out of the three shows that I viewed at the plant the one that I fell in love with was called ‘Beauty Plus Pity’ and it was by Emily Vey Duke, and Cooper Battersby. This display involved spirit animals, and dealt mainly with religion and good vs. evil. As I walked through the dimly lit room, all around me were stuffed creatures dressed in clothes with jewels hanging above them or laying on them. In the background a collage video was playing.
“It’s easier to be faithful to a God that is unstable”
This is a quote that was sung over and over again on the film. The voice singing was very high and peaceful while the subject matted seemed to be about hunting and religion. The log that was intended for viewers to watch the video on was being lit from underneath. I found that this lighting created a sense of warmth, like I was around the campfire.
This show throws a spot light on guilt, and how much religion is based on it. For instance, in the video, a penguin tells a story of a woman said hail Mary’s in order to conceive, but then when her baby dies at a very young age the priest who told her to say hail Mary’s blames the child’s short life on the mother saying she did not say enough of them, and thus destined her child an early death. I believe that this artist is insinuating that the church is unfairly placing guilt among its followers in order to control them.
If we can’t get it together – artists rethinking the (mal)function of communities
Curator: Nina Montmann
Collection by a group of Canadian artists
Secta – Domestics of Community
KhirkeeYann – Gloomy Sunday
The first group in this collection that we saw was called ‘KhirkeeYaan’ a series of TV. Monitors viewing peoples everyday lives in other countries. This piece was particularly strong, and seemed to fit the series very well.
The second piece that was saw was an interesting set up of two cut out paper figures place on a pile of books, with a light, and projector behind them. The video played on the projector was of two students who moved into the same position as the cut out figures, so for a moment the figures in the video disappears. While this is taking place there is some very sad music playing. This piece deals with a student protest, where a one of the students tragically died during this protest. There was a definite sense of loss and melancholy emulated by this piece.
Another piece in this series that really caught my eye was a video documentary about a secret utopian society, who were doing things not socially acceptable. For instance, one lady was shaving her legs on a dock by the river in a public area, another gentleman went to the supermarket and was licking the fruit and then placing it back on the shelf. I really enjoyed this piece because it was sort of making fun of social norms, yet conveying it in an artistic fashion.
One of the last pieces I saw of this series was about traveling somewhere you’ve never been before. This artist was very interested in appealing to multiple human senses, for example their piece released the scent of dinosaur manure whenever it sensed movement, it also was hooked up to a large fan and a heat lamp. There were several found objects used in this piece, like hanging blinds to separate other objects, as well as a freezer. I think that this piece is quite interesting due to its sensory considerations as well as its initial idea of visiting a foreign place, however I am not convinced it fits the series as well as some of the other pieces.
The last piece that I want to talk about from the power plant gallery is called Headless. An Exhibit by Goldin and Senneby, however most of the work done in this exhibit was not done by the artists but by artisans. These artists are known for using artisans. This piece was very confusing for me, and I found it hard to understand everything that I was seeing.
Art Metropole
This museum felt precious to me in the sense that I almost felt as though I was in a private attic filled with treasures of every kind. Perhaps the cluttered feeling comes from the simple fact that this museum is a multi-tasker, it is also a book store, and completes publications. The cluttered array of books, pamphlets, exhibitions and individual pieces of art make for an exciting experience.
Birch Libralato
When I visited the Birch Libralato gallery, the artist Peter Smith was being highlighted. His work was so interesting. He used every and any material, from corkscrews wire and nails, to star stickers, pencil crayons, and children’s building blocks. His work incorporated sketches and globes along with text to match. It was fresh and inspiring at the same time. I very much enjoyed his work. The artist himself was at the gallery when we were there and he was rather comical. He was finishing some pieces and placing finishing touches here and there. He seemed out of breath but very laidback.
2 of 2 Gallery – MELISSA ESPINA + PAIGE HOLDEN
This gallery had incredible wax paintings along with black and white macro portraits. Both of which were striking especially from a distance. The wax paintings are so beautiful and rich looking. This is a technique I would love to learn some day.
