Geneviève Cadieux wins Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts

“Distinguished artistic achievement” – that's why the Canadian photographer Geneviève Cadieux belongs to the award winners of the 2011 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

In her Nomination Statement, Marie Fraser, Chief Curator at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, emphasizes how important Cadieux' work was for the resurgence of photography in contemporary arts. “In it, she examines issues of representation (mainly photographic) acutely and poetically, while addressing in an exemplary way questions of gender and identity, as well as existential elements in the cycle of life and the passage of time.”

La Voie lactée, 1992, back-lit panel, aluminum case, inkjet digital print on flexible, transluscent canvas, printed on front only, 1/2 editions, 183 x 457 cm. Collection: Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Donation by the artist (photo: Louis Lussier).

Furthermore, Cadieux is also very well know to Montreal residents and visitors. La Voie Lactee (1992), has been installed on the roof of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in 1992 and has since then become a visual reference point of the city. When Man Ray comes in your mind right now, you are right; she refers to Man Ray's famous painting of lips floating in a surrealistic manner in the sky. But in Cadieux' photo, the lips are opened a bit; the erotic implication is mixed with language symbolism.

Cet après-midi là (enchantement), 2006, photographic print, 290.8 x 466.7 cm.
(Courtesy of the artist)

This photograph is composed of three parts that show a girl in a dress, abstract vegetation and a parrot. The paradisiac atmosphere is strongly interrupted by the abstract part in the middle. There is no story that the beholder can detect. It demonstrates how photography can exist on its own without obvious narration. The presentation of her artwork – leaning on the wall – is theatrical and challenges the viewer's habits in emphasizing on the physical state of the media.

The 2011 award recipients from left to right like they were announced by the Canada Council for the Arts: Nancy Tousley, Robert Fones , Kye-Yeon Son, David Rimmer, Barbara Sternberg , Geneviève Cadieux, Michael Morris, and Shirley Wiitasalo. (photo: Martin Lipman)

Altogether, eight artists received the 2011 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts from the CCA. Not only painting and photography were represented as media, but also performance, experimental film and metal smithing. To see the broad spectrum of artworks, visit the Governor General’s Awards exhibition at the National Gallery from March 25 until June 19, 2011.

Link to the Canada Council for the Arts

Art or Propaganda? Symposium at the War Museum

What kind of people are war artists? Why are they taking the risks of war to work as embedded artists in the Canadian troops? Are they devoted to the military? Do the want to create propaganda? These were the questions that drove me to attend the symposium "Military Art Now" at the War Museum on Thursday.

To be honest: I was expecting to see more propaganda than art, more military personnel than civilians, more devotion to military than criticism. But I was completely surprised by the outcome and it seems that I have to rethink my prejudices!

What I learned first, is the fact that The Canadian Forces Artists Program (CFAP) does not mean that artists really stay at the front lines and depict battles. Indeed, Karole Marois e.g. was visiting a Canadian Military Base in Harskamp, Netherlands. She attended parades for the 60 years anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by the Canadian troops and depicted these parades on canvasses that look like gravestones, reminding the fallen soldiers.

Karole Marois

Karole was strongly impressed by the endless graveyards of fallen soldiers that she visited during her stay in the Netherlands. And she also attended parades that were highly attended with cheering people who are still grateful for the Canadian military.

For the background: CFAP selects artists every two years to develop a body of work which will "allow Canadian artists the opportunity to record Canada's soldiers in Canada and around the world". That's the mandate. I was also not aware of the fact that the selected artist in the program are not paid, they work on a volunteer basis and just the expenses are covered. Their artworks are owned by the artists; but acquisitions from museums might be considered.

I was also impressed by the artist Karen Bailey who is represented in the current War Museum exhibition "Brush with War" with a self-portrait that shows her with a army helmet and sunglasses (see my posting). During her talk, she made clear that this selection was not her first choice because she worried that this self-portrait could be mistaken as a kind of support for the military. Instead, she did not want to go to Afghanistan in first place, but she finally decided to go the depict the work of medical personnel at a military hospital in Kandahar.

Karen Bailey

 Scott Waters emphasized that he - as a civilian artist - was interested in the military; that's why he applied for the program. During his involvement with India Coy., Second Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment in 2006, he was confronted with the contradictions of war art and propaganda; but he mentioned that he was given free range in the motives and topics he choose. His self-portrait shows him in a tank and fright is clearly visible. He also mentioned that there was a distance between the embedded artists and the soldiers.

Scott Waters

This distance was non-existent for Kevin Goligher and David Collier, because they were soldiers first and later became artists. Therefore the symposium provided a broad spectrum of artists with different backgrounds. Artists who gave short presentations of their works in the morning: Dick Averns, David Collier, Kevin Goligher, Gertrude Kearns, Erin Riley, Ian Wall and Scott Waters. In the afternoon Karen Bailey, Karole Marois, Bill MacDonnell and Sharon McKay gave 20 minutes lectures about their approaches. The War Museum will upload parts of the lectures on uTube; unfortunately I could not find it there today.  

Aerial Abstractions - Burtynsky? Gursky? Helbig!

It appears to me that I'm somehow coming back to Edward Burtynsky from time to time (see my posting about Daniel Corbeil). Why today? Because I just visited the exhibition "Aerial Abstractions" with photographs by Louis Helbig; and the resemblance is obvious.

From left to right: "Algae Bloom High Falls, QC", "Stelcosteel Mill One, Nanticoke, ON","Sunderland Pit Gravels Piles One Sunderland, ON".

Burtynsky and Helbig depict both the appearance of a landscape from a perspective above it; and furthermore both deal with environmental issues. Helbig's best known project is “Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs” and this motive was also of course a main focus for Burtynsky. (Unfortunately, this series by Helbig is not on view in the exhibition - it focuses on photos in the Ottawa area.) Furthermore, aerial views by both artists reveal abstract structures of our landscapes and the effect of industrialization.

Left: "Long Hay Bale Shawville, QC"; right: Shawville Thaw Shawville, QC"

As Helbig says: “Although aerial perspectives afford great sweeping views, they also afford the opposite. Removing context provokes wonder, thought and reflection.” Helbigs landscape color photographs from a high point of view indeed surprise the beholder with abstract structures that were unrecognizable for us standing on the ground. Helbig's photographs oscillate between documentary and abstract, like in works by the German photographer Andreas Gursky. His famous works - e.g. "Rimini", 2003 that shows a Mediterranean beach with endless rows of beach chairs - follow a more formal structure with color composition and contrasts. Up close, a microcosm of details is visible.

Gursky uses digital manipulation to create his strictly composed aerial views. Gursky's huge, panoramic color prints have a formal power that Helbig misses. Gursky’s and Burtynsky's styles are enigmatic. Helbig concentrates in this exhibition rather on decorative landscapes that show not only destruction but also beauty.

"Snow Geese in Field One Casselman, ON"

Facts:

Aerial Abstractions

An Exhibition of photographs by Louis Helbig

January 20th till March 15th, 2011

Exposure Gallery

Andrew King departures to a new style

2010 was a year of changes for Andrew King – in his private life and also in his work. “The past year of my life has been filled with an interesting array of circumstances, adventures and most importantly, new beginnings. I found myself in situations that put a whole new perspective on my life which subsequently influenced my work as an artist.” so Andrew.

The stylistic change is pretty obvious when you visit his current exhibition at the Wall Space Gallery in Westboro. In the hallway you will still find Andrew's paintings with his well-know graphic signature style that depicts humorous narratives. But you will also discover some works with captions that are rather pensive and a little bit sad.

“My Friday night” deals e.g. with the sterile loneliness at a nightly laundromat and creates a gloomy atmosphere that is influenced by Edward Hopper. King's paintings tell always stories that leave the beholder with the suspicion that something exceptional is going on. But now it seems the artist is getting more serious and austere – that means no more giggling smiles.

When you proceed with the exhibition you will soon discover King's new group of work that has a distinct style from the older works. “Using techniques and inspiration that is a departure from my regular work, I found a strong urge to venture into new territory and break free from what I was accustomed to while still aiming for a satisfying aesthetic.” so Andrew. His new works are obviously inspired by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. 

 

The text to the painting “View from lakeshore lodge” reads: “At the turn of the century, a Victorian vacation lodge was built overlooking the beach in Prince Edward County. Now long gone, all that remains are windswept trees and the view across the bay to the sand.“ Isn't that somehow a sad story of loss and impermanence? It reminds me at Tom Thomson's “Pine Island, Georgian Bay” (1914-16, in National Gallery of Canada). Nevertheless, Andrew's graphic style is still unique.

During travels down the Rideau Canal, Vermont, Prince Edward County and Arizona King created his new paintings and drawings. The small size landscape painting at the front is called “rideau dusk”. The labeling reads: “An amazing sunset as seen from my motorboat on Big Rideau Lake.” I am wondering where his travels and his departure to new styles will lead him next...

Facts:

Andrew King: departures

February 05^th to 21st, 2011

Wall Space Gallery

358 Richmond Rd

Andrew's homepage

Wall Space

Military Art Now – Symposium at the War Museum

"A Brush With War - Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan" is the current special exhibition at the War Museum. It shows works by artists who witnessed Canadian military history between 1946 and 2008. Most of them were involved in two military art programs: the Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (1968-1995) and the Canadian Forces Artists Program (2001- present). The exhibition clearly shows that the artistic approach was initially influenced by the art of the First and Second World War programs. But recent works seems to be more personal, express a rather subjective view of the artists and follow therefore no longer a documentary approach.

Included in the show are two well-known paintings: A.Y. Jackson's “Vimy Ridge from Souchez Valley” (1918) and “His Majesty's Canadian Ship Prince Henry in Corsica” by Alex Colville (1944). But I was for example strongly impressed by William MacDonnell's “The Wall” (around 1995) that he created as an embedded artist with the Canadian military in Croatia. He depicted in grey colours and strong brush strokes the outside of a graveyard in Croatia that was littered with landmines. Quite shocking is the fact that, at first glance, this work seems to be almost idyllic, with no signs of violence and a sky at sunset...

William MacDonnell's “The Wall” (around 1995), Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19970054-001

Also worth mentioning is a self-portrait by Karen Bailey that refers to her visit to Afghanistan in 2007 as an appointed military artist. In general she depicts e.g. Canadian military medical personnel caring for injured Afghan men and children; and she uses a palette of lighter tones including shades of yellow, orange and purple that provide the scenes in a paradoxical way with an almost happy athmosphere.

Self-Portrait by Karen Bailey (2007), on loan from the artist

In two weeks the War Museum will host a symposium about the The Canadian Forces Artists Program (CFAP) . It focus on the first ten years (2001-2011) of this program; and artists and representatives of the CFAP will give informal presentations in the morning and a panel discussion in the afternoon on Canadian military art in our century. The artists Karen Bailey, Bill MacDonnell, Karol Marois and the author Sharon McKay will be there! The event will be moderated by Dr. Laura Brandon, curator for art and war at the War Museum. I am looking forward to it!



Facts:
Military Art Now
Canadian War Museum
Atelier C and Barney Danson Theatre
February 17th, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free event
The Museum asks kindly to register.

A Brush With War - Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan
December 10th, 2010 to March 20th, 2011
War Museum