Perspectives of the past

Vancouver photographer Roy Arden’s historically motivated art is coming to hang in Montreal. Arden is well known for the “archival” works of his early career, where he uses images of historical events to “examine photography’s role in the construction of memory and history.” His piece “Rupture” juxtaposes journalistic photographs of the infamous 1930 “Bloody Sunday” police action in Vancouver against his own shots of a blue sky. Another, “Abjection,” has images of the internment of Japanese Canadians and the confiscation of their property by the feds during World War II, paired with monochromes of exposed, black photo paper.

According to Arden, the works address the nature of photography while at the same time, giving a different view of the past. He says they are “questioning rather than affirmative of official history.” Roy Arden: Selected Works 1985–2000 runs at L’Espace VOX (350 St-Paul W.) until Oct. 27. Vernissage Thursday, Aug. 29, 5 p.m. : -Matthew Woodley :

Totally tango

There’s one last chance to tango through the tulips this week in St-Viateur Park (corner of Bernard and Bloomfield), as the École de danse Tango Libre is giving its last freebie lesson of the summer season. For six years the school has been offering these Sunday night park soirées for tango enthusiasts.
Tango instructor Louis Bourbonnais has been leading the lessons all summer. “The tango is a very expressive dance because of the intimacy of the communication between the couple,” he says, adding that the Sunday night classes are “a great way to give people a taste of the music and to dance in the park underneath the stars.”

Don’t be shy and check out this South American pas-de-deux on Sunday, Sept. 1, 7:30–9 p.m., for a crash course for beginners, then a tango free-for-all from 9–10:30 p.m. Call 527-5197 for more info. :
-Marites Carino

Mademoiselle muse

If eyeing all the women sauntering up the Main isn’t enough to satiate your appetite for gorgeous girly visages, you can duck into Café Pi (4127 St-Laurent) to get a concentrated dose of female faces. Spunout features brightly coloured, funky faces painted by Anna Stergion, always energetic, always unique and always feminine. “I don’t paint men because whenever I do, they end up looking like women,” she says. Stergion paintings evoke faint representations of various cultures, prompting questions about the differences and similarities between women all over the world. Check out the chicks until Sept. 24. :
-Claire Philipson:

Drop your guard

Tarade around town with your honest essence buried beneath a veneer of posturing and designer cool beware. A performance artist could destroy your carefully constructed image at any second.
Armed with a transparent sculpture of a globe filled with golden cheerios, one such artist, Nadia Bertrand, set out to get beneath the street-savvy glaze of Torontonians. She approached people with her peculiar sculpture and photographed them at the peak of their confusion, as they grappled with just how they should deal with the situation. The results are on display in the exhibit I am not J.C. Je suis N.B. at Zeke’s Gallery (3955 St-Laurent) until Sept.15. The show also features Bertrand’s paintings, some installations and a series of shadow-boxes. :
-Claire Philipson

Is it Art?

Hear ye, hear ye: For the second year in a row, the Coupe de l’Avenir and Coupe des Éleveurs horseracing events at the Hippodrome will have an olde-tyme twist. Billed as a “major medieval celebration,” more than 75 extras will go about their daily lives in a “genuine medieval village,” rife with knights, maidens, fire breathers and buffoons. There’s ample opportunity to take part too, with interactive workshops with cool themes like sword and crossbow handling. Step back in time on Sunday, Sept. 1, noon. Admission is free and for every peasant present, $1 goes to LEUCAN, an organization helping youth deal with cancer. :

ArtsHole

One-of-a-kind threads: Kopy Rights makes clothes that much more unique by putting limited edition prints on your duds, numbered and signed by the artists. At Noize (3697 St-Laurent) until Sept. 27. * Benevolent boutique: Designer Collections Fall Summer 2002 has joined forces with Sun Youth to put on a sample sale of chic clothing from lots of labels like FUBU, Diesel, Triple Five Soul and Luscious and send the proceeds to the local charity. From Aug. 29–31 at St. James Church (463 Ste-Catherine W., 2nd floor), noon–7 p.m. with DJs and hipsters galore. Minimum donation of $3. * In the clouds: Mixing mediums and techniques of photography, drawing and collage, Éric Boutin creates playful works “reflective of fleeting moments of inattention.” His exhibit runs at the Vieux-presbytère St-Mark in Longueuil (340 St-Charles W.) until Sept. 28. :

Artistat: Number of monarch butterflies to be tagged and released before their annual voyage to Mexico as part of the Monarch Odyssey at the Montreal Insectarium (4581 Sherbrooke E.) on Aug. 24–25, and the two weekends that follow: 200 :