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Riot at the vernissage
by Christine Redfern
Show and tell
by Christine Redfern
Democracy by design
by Genevieve Paiement
Second coming
by Vincent Tinguely
Is it Art?
ArtsHole
Double trouble: Glassbox is a Parisian artists' collective hell-bent on promoting emerging artistic talents (including their own). Double Vie (symbolizing their dual role as both programmers and artists) is the title of their show of works created while in residence in Montreal. Check out their cutting-edge visions at Galerie Clark (1591 Clark), 2nd floor, Oct. 25-Dec. 2, vernissage Oct. 25, 8 p.m. * Marathon of madness: Consider yourself warned: an unprecedented barrage of "site specific performances" is heading toward the Plateau. It's called ReciproCity and it'll last 24 hours, beginning Oct. 31 at 6 a.m. The whole shebang goes down at Elle Corazon (176 Bernard W.) and an "antichambre" (4832 St-Laurent), with a round table at 813 Ontario E., Nov. 1, 12-5 p.m.--all for free. Curious? Call 393-3771. :
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Last weekend Room+Board, a sometimes-controversial travelling show by the BFO Projects collective, opened at Dare-Dare. The concept: visiting artists must set up their exhibition in response to a "hostile environment" during the opening reception. In one locale, a strong wind and feathers filled the space, and the artists were given special suits and masks in which to set up their exhibit. Another time, their existence was completely ignored by the gallery and they had to set up all alone. In Montreal, they didn't get off that easy.
The starting point for Les Ateliers s'exposent 2001 is a group exhibition at the Maison de la Culture Plateau Mont-Royal. Curator Véronique Rodriguez selected the artists, but each participant picked the artwork to expose. The selected works are bait to lure you to their respective studios, where you get to see art outside of the sanitized white gallery cube and experience each artist's working conditions. It's also a chance to discuss the work with the artists themselves--personal interaction and the visual arts, what a concept!
Although there's plenty of room for "art for art's sake" in graphic design, some team players want to talk politics. "Most graphic designers are working for companies where they have to do what they're told, to promote something," says Rhona Richman Kenneally, Concordia design professor and co-organizer of the Declarations of [Inter]dependence and the Im[media]cy of Design symposium. "People are now challenging brandism, challenging the impact of globalization and the commodification of our culture. This event aims to help designers have a voice for democratic citizenship," Kenneally explains.
Poet and producer Karen Stewart first made a mark on the spoken word scene with the Phenomenal Women shows celebrating International Women's Day. For the last couple of years she's been organizing Soul Shack, spotlighting local and national spoken word performers. Just this summer she started up the Je Suis Books store on Monkland; it plays host to a variety of in-store readings on Thursday nights.
Gonna make you sweat: The wide world of sports rarely intersects with the art world. Dedicated art snobs generally steer clear of stadium sports events and rarely is a jockstrap-type spotted within the confines of a hoity-toity gallery. Unnecessary Roughness, Hazel Myer and Richard Parry's "audio-intestinal-sports-opera," has come along to change all that. Combining the thrill-a-minute, ultra-physical, heart-pumping action of a major-league sports event with the cheekiness and ingenuity of contemporary art installation, it should be a hoot! Some highlights: a huge, knitted intestine, a mini-football field, music, slide projections, video, cheerleaders and a marching band! Oct. 29-Nov. 2 at the VAV Gallery (1395 René Levesque W.), vernissage Oct. 30, 7 p.m. (free hot dogs and beer!).