Age defying
AGING WITH GRACE: Molnar and Barbuto
“Age doesn’t matter,” says Gioconda Barbuto, former soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and ex-dancer with the Nederlands Dans Theatre III, a company made up of performers over 40. Barbuto, now an elegant 50, wanted to share her interest in age in a new collaborative work.
“We have about a 15-year age difference and we don’t think about it too much,” says Barbuto of collaborator Emily Molnar, days before the premiere of LifeLines.
This movement conversation with Vancouver-based Molnar, works with “the fragility of memory and digs into the history of the past and brings it into the present with the passage of time,” explains Barbuto. “There is history that is carved into every moment of movement.”
In this intimate collaboration with video-artist/photographer Michael Slobodian, Molnar and Barbuto perform duets and self-choreographed solos. “Aging gives us keys to things that disappear in order for us to find other things,” adds Molnar.
The artists speak after tonight’s (Jan. 17) performance at Agora de la Danse (840 Cherrier), $18–$26, 8 p.m. nightly until Jan. 19.
by MARITES CARINO
All sold out
ENCHANTINGLY TWISTED: “Vicious Delicious”Rick Leong’s exhibition Wonderland opened last Thursday night and—here is something you don’t hear very often—every painting was sold by the time I showed up to see the show on Friday.
This is work that needs space to be fully appreciated, so the Parisian Laundry (3550 St. Antoine W.) is a good place to see it. When you stand close to the work you notice the surface of the painting: the play between the matte sections and the shiny, varnished spots. When you step back from the work, you notice the depth and other elements hidden in the image.
Leong’s pictures at first glance, show twisting tree trunks and roots, misty landscapes and rainbows. When you look longer you notice that these landscapes are animated: some rocks have faces, the toadstools have eyes and there are strange little creatures lurking here and there.
And, if you are more observant than me, you’ll notice—before it has to be pointed out to you—that one painting hides the form of a large owl, while others conceal a skull or a large carp. “There is always an element of the unexpected in it,” says Leong. Until Feb. 23, info: (514) 989-1056.
by CHRISTINE REDFERN
Junk science
When you walk in the door of Skol (372 Ste Catherine W., #314), you encounter an old turntable from the 1970s playing the orchestral work The Planets, composed by Gustav Holst. Attached to the turntable is a metronome, gears and wires that cause the needle to skip from one part of the recording to another.
Surprisingly, the result is not irritating. The volume is automatically lowered  when the arm jumps between sections, so there is no loud, jarring thump when the needle hits the playing surface. The aural effect is similar to flipping a radio dial back and forth between stations. This work, titled “TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space),” is by Calgary-based Robyn Moody who builds sculptures and installations from found and recycled technology. Moody laughs as he remarks, “I use precision clockwork mechanisms in order to make something erratic!”
The second piece, “Constellation,” was inspired by all those little LEDs that glow around the home when it’s dark. Moody has multiplied and arranged these lights in the darkened main gallery to create a miniature cosmos. Moody comments, “It looks beautiful, but the darkness hides an ugly reality of wasteful behaviour.” Until Feb. 9, info: (514) 398-9322.
by CHRISTINE REDFERN
Incisive ink
The analytic mind of Erica Ruth Kelly led her to a degree in philosophy and religion. It’s also prompted her to probe the human condition through incisive poetry (she’s self-published four chapbooks) and lyrically substantial songwriting.
“Someone once said to me, ‘you have no idea of the stories in other people’s  hearts,’” says Kelly. “The span of emotion that other person has gone through is exactly the same as what you’ve been through.” Her work covers everything from a crush on early inspiration Leonard Cohen, to feminist issues in the workplace.
“After coming out of school, I’d forgotten there were still people with an old mindset, classifying what a man or a woman is allowed to do.”
Kelly plays this Sunday, Jan. 20 at Words and Music at the Casa, along with Taqralik Partridge, Lydia Lockett and the Stephen Barry Band, 8 p.m. at Casa del Popolo, (4873 St-Laurent), $5.
by VINCENT TINGUELY
Is it art?
ELECTION: “StopHillary is more than a T-shirt or a logo. It’s a movement—maybe even a revolution.” With the presidential primaries all over the media, a press release stating the above seemed appropriate, but the ethos behind the “revolution” isn’t so clear.
 “When you wear a StopHillary shirt, you transcend politics and become part of something bigger and more important. Regardless of whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, there’s one thing we can all agree on—people who wear StopHillary shirts are awesome.”
Invented by “three ordinary guys” these non-partisan, pro-awesome and seemingly misogynist tees are, not surprisingly, available in “only one color-scheme—red, white and blue” and come with the following disclaimer: “StopHillary.org is a for-profit company. We don’t accept donations from communist China and have no idea if our shirts are environmentally friendly. Please don’t sue us just because we’re awesome.”
Arts
hole
NUDE DANCERS: Studio 303 kicks off the season with Vernissage-dance #136: Naked. Featuring Julia Male, Louis Turcotte, Sasha Kleinplatz, Sudeshna Maulik and PME-ART the naked theme refers to the movement and setting of the pieces and not, unfortunately, the dancers’ birthday suits. Saturday, Jan. 19 at 8:30 p.m. (372 Ste-Catherine W., #303) • FOODIE FIX: Inspired by New York’s Restaurant Week, Montreal introduces Happening Gourmand, eight restaurants in Old Montreal participate in this food fest, offering a specialized table d’hôte menu at a cut price, until Jan. 25, www.happeninggourmand.com.
Artistat
The price of admission at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until Jan. 27 to view the current collections and exhibitions: $0 |
