Katherine MacDonald’s “Self-Portrait with Brush,” oil on canvas, is one of the many art works featured in “The Bigger Picture” exhibit at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Art
Art Gallery of Hamilton show portrays half century of local art
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“The Bigger Picture: Art in Hamilton 1950-2000,” one of the most important shows ever mounted at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, is coming to a close, along with the old year, on Saturday, Dec. 31.
I can’t speak for the year 2022, but the show will not be forgotten.
At the show’s opening in the fall so many who came out were moved to the core.
Yes, many of them were artists represented in the show but just as many, even more, were those who experience the work of our creative community from the sidelines, so to speak, as friends of the arts.
Supporters, collectors, buyers, family, writers, perhaps most important of all, audiences.
“The response of people … some had tears in their eyes,” says artist/gallery owner Bryce Kanbara, one of the show’s organizers, one of the most consistent and stalwart champions of art in this city for almost 60 years.
Some of the emotion arose from the presence in that space of works by artists we’ve lost. It was more than that, though. Much of it was the sheer sweep of the manifold creative composite that is represented on the walls — so many artists, so many impulses. And also the magnitude of the moment, the history and struggle behind it. So much of the feeling was the feeling of familiarity. “Hey, I remember that! I know so and so and such and such and that episode and that piece of art.” It was know-stalgia.
Veteran Hamilton artist Bob Yates, represented in the show by a spectacular environmental piece, says: “The first thing that strikes me about this historic show is the number of artists I was fortunate enough to know as friends who are now dead. Ars longa, vita brevis.
“I can’t help but be thankful for Wayne Allan, Bob Mason, Bill Kidston, George Wallace, Catherine Gibbon, Jim Mullin, John Miecznikowski, Bill Powell, Conrad Furey, Mansaram, Walter Hickling, Trevor Hodgson and others.”
Says Ravinder Ruprai: “I feel like it (“The Bigger Picture” show) has legitimized my history as an artist in this city.
“I used to work at the AGH. I loved the various positions I held there. It was during some of the gallery’s toughest times and, eventually I lost my job. It was devastating and humiliating. I withdrew from the arts community completely,” but re-emerging as a mature artist some year later, she realized the scene had changed.
“Re-establishing myself has been hard work but very rewarding,” she says. “Artist/curator Bryce Kanbara provided early opportunities to show work at You Me Gallery, for which I am extremely grateful. ‘The Bigger Picture’ exhibition says very clearly, ‘this artist — this South Asian artist (important because there are not a lot of artists of colour represented in this show) — was here, living/working/practicing in Hamilton, adding to the social discourse.’”
Says Michael Allgoewer: “The first Hamilton artist I met was (the late) Doug Carter. It was he who introduced me to the scene.
“Slowly, I began to see how the circles of influence and inspiration spread outward from certain points of commonality, such as the Inc (Hamilton Artists Inc.), McMaster, DVSA (Dundas Valley School of Art), and later the Hammer Gallery.”
In the “ensuing tumultuous years,” he says, he became more and more involved in local arts organization, began to accrue some solo shows, then, as the end of the millennium approached, a solo show at the AGH itself. A coup for a local artist.
“It’s hard to believe that was nearly a quarter of a century ago.” says Allgoewer.
Aside from the work the show affords glimpses at the rich but sometimes terribly troubled history of our arts community and institutions during that period and this too, I think, contribute to the
Through much of that time (1950 to 2000), Hamilton arts were like a tree whose soil was being depleted by the sucking roots of the big black walnut of Toronto and what nutrients remained to our artists kept getting drained away further by the all too frequent indifference to Hamilton artists on the part of some of our very own institutions, including city council and, at times, the AGH itself which in the ‘90s had a reputation among some local artists, justifiable or not, of ignoring them.
I covered the arts in this city for much of the 1990s and early 2000s and continue to do so intermittently now, a great honour, I should add. Back then there were stories about art projects getting cancelled by city hall, funding trimmed back to almost nothing in certain cases, public art juries overruled by council.
It got to a point where artists staged a kind of protest/art moment called “The Big Picture.” Artists, of every stripe, from visual to theatre to music and dance, were invited to gather at the forecourt of city hall to have a group picture taken. Hundreds showed up, and Cees van Gamerden took the shot. An image of it is prominent in the current show, and that event, called “The Big Picture,” inspired the comparator title of this one.
The times may not always be good for the arts — those ones certainly weren’t — but the arts are always good for the times. And there is a fitting irony in the turnaround that has happened since, with the arts turning into one of Hamilton’s great attractions (art crawls and Supercrawl, for instance).
Under Shelley Falconer’s leadership, the AGH has been making great strides toward community inclusion and diversity.
This show, so ably guest curated by Alexis Molina, proves that.
Art
Random: We're In Awe of Metaphor: ReFantazio's Box Art – Push Square
There’s nothing quite like video game box art that makes you stop and say “wow”. Admittedly, it’s been a while since such a cover caught our eye, but we simply can’t gawk at the newly revealed box art for Metaphor: ReFantazio and not write an article about it.
The upcoming RPG looks to be a stunner in terms of art direction, and the cover gives you a taste of that before you even get started. It features gorgeous character-focused art, and although we still think the name ‘Metaphor: ReFantazio’ is a bit… overwrought, we can’t argue with the logo, which is striking.
NieR: Automata’s Kazuma Koda is credited as Metaphor’s concept artist, so we’re assuming it’s his work that’s decorating this box, but it’s also worth noting that longtime Persona character designer Shigenori Soejima is running the show.
Are you as taken with Metaphor’s box art as we are? Have a quick say in our poll and then make some room on your shelf in the comments section below.
Art
Hajime Sorayama on the erotic aesthetics of his sexy robot art
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We speak to the controversial Japanese artist about fetishism, his never-before displayed ‘hardcore’ paintings and Desire Machines – one of the inaugural exhibitions at the Museum of Sex opening soon in Miami
©Hajime Sorayama Courtesy of NANZUKA
©Hajime Sorayama Courtesy of NANZUKA
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“articleBody”: “Shoyer adds: “I appreciate how Sorayama’s work engenders discussions about the real and the fantastic, the erotic appeal of the inorganic, and the porous boundaries between being human, machine, and animal, especially in relation to subjectivity or myths of consent.” She says there’s one particular piece she wants to highlight – and one that ties the Museum of Sex Miami’s inaugural programme together nicely. “The painting [an untitled work painted by Sorayama in 2022] features a fembot using a vibrator,” she explains. “Gold halos hover over the robot’s head and the head of the vibrator, sanctifying both machines. The vibrator features a hand crank, referencing the early history of vibrators – a history that’s also on view in Modern Sex. Hand-cranked vibrating stimulatory machines were first invented during the industrial revolution. An object like the Vee Dee vibrator (1900-1915) features a similar hand-crank to the vibrator on view in Sorayama’s painting. As such, in this work, Sorayama seems to combine the early history of mechanical stimulators with a futuristic look at self-stimulation. Here, the past, present, and our visions for the future compound. The painting seems to ask, ‘How has erotic desire, self-stimulation, and the subjectivity of other-than-human figures manifested, and how will it play out going forward?’.”
By referencing the past in this way (see also his Marilyn Monroe android pin-up), Sorayama imbues his ‘sexy robots’ – who he refers to as his wives and daughters – with a past. They’re simultaneously human, with realistic, supple flesh and familiar histories, and yet disorientingly non-human, futuristic, and fantastical. At a time when we have more tools than ever than envision a different kind of eroticism – and yet people use AI to reinforce the same Western ideals of sexiness – Sorayama remains one of the few still really pushing the boundaries of what eroticism can look like. “I’m excited and very proud of how [Desire Machines] came together,” he concludes. “I can’t wait to see the viewers’ reaction. I just need to keep behaving myself so I won’t get arrested before the show starts.”
Visit the gallery above for a closer look at some of the artwork going on display at the Musuem of Sex in Miami.
Museum of Sex Miami opens in 2024. Follow their Instagram for updates.”,
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Art
Fragility on display at new Kelowna Art Gallery exhibition – Kelowna News – Castanet.net
Two Master of Fine Arts candidates at UBC Okanagan explore fragility in a new exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery.
Kelowna-based Victoria Verge and Salmon-Arm based zev tiefenbach are featured in the presentation titled “What is Fragile?” that runs until July 12, 2024. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, April 26, from 6 pm. to 8 p.m. at the Kelowna Art Gallery, and admission is free.
Verge’s works, titled Chasing the Echoes of Home, include interactive sculptures and a large installation featuring wallpaper and vintage furniture. Teifenbach’s collection includes photographs and videos called these are fragile days.
“Through their unique artistic explorations, Verge and tiefenbach shed light on how fragile the human spirit can be,” says curator Christine May. “Visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to think deeply about how art can transform us, and the important role that artists play in shaping today’s social and cultural stories.”
A pair of fellow MFA student from UBC Okanagan, Jessie Emilie and Troy Teichrib will also be showcasing their work at the Lake Country Art Gallery from May 18 to July 14.
“Through a range of mediums, these students are offering visitors the opportunity to explore the next generation of contemporary art across a variety of styles,” says Wanda Lock, curator at the Lake Country Art Gallery.
The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street. The Lake Country Art Gallery is at 10356A Bottom Wood Lake Road.
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