Jan 30th, 2010

It’s A Big Deal @ Harbourfront Centre — Toronto

til Apr. 4

Of the new work by Harbourfront Centre’s current artists-in-residence, two artists’ work best answer the question:  Is it big enough?   >>

Jan 29th, 2010

Nothing to Declare @ The Power Plant — Toronto

“Recent Sculpture from Canada” til Mar. 7

Despite my familiarity with many of the artists work on display, I was a bit flummoxed by curator Helena Reckitt’s gathering of what proclaims to be “the new Canadian sculpture”.    >>

Jan 28th, 2010

Carmen Cheung @Harbourfront Centre — Toronto

“Still Life” til Apr. 4

“I resemble that moment,”   >>

Jan 10th, 2010

John Gerrard @ hirshhorn — Washington DC

“Directions” til March 28

No weapons or bad guys are present in these works, but the anticipation of such threats lurks in the periphery.     >>

Jan 9th, 2010

Barbara Liotta @ The Phillips Collection — Washington, DC

“Icarus” ’til Jan 31

If I were the poet that I once aspired to be, I would write an ode about Barbara Liotta’s Icarus that just might do it justice. But since I’m clearly not, I’ll just tell you about what happened between us instead.     >>

Jan 8th, 2010

Robert Bergman @ National Gallery of Art — Washington DC

“Portraits” til Jan 10

Robert Bergman takes something that we would rather not look at, the forgotten people of our society, and makes it strangely beautiful.    >>

Jan 6th, 2010

Anne Truitt @ hirshhorn — Washington DC

“Perception and Reflection” ended Jan 3

I’m irked and not all that surprised that I was not familiar with the work of Anne Truitt, an artist who created minimalist, colour field paintings in three-dimensional form at the same time as her more famous peers Kenneth Noland and Barnett Newman.  Such is the way of art history.     >>

Jan 5th, 2010

Phoebe Greenberg @ hirshhorn — Washington DC

“Next Floor” til April 4

Phoebe Greenberg and/or the hirshhorn, got my junk up in a knot in a couple of different ways with this “exhibit”.

I’m not  disgruntled because Next Floor won best Short Film at Cannes in 2008 (amoung numerous other awards).  It is a well done, profound and compelling short film.  But my first beef is that it is a film and film has its own numerous venues for display.

And it’s not the film’s content either.  Portraying a bunch of privileged people gorging on all imaginable animals while the floor continuously falls out beneath them is an apt critique of our western ways, if not a very obvious one.   >>

Jan 4th, 2010

Portrait Competition 2009 @ National Portrait Gallery — Washington DC

“Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition” til Aug 22nd

It’s fascinating to see such a diverse approach to portraiture of unknowns displayed in a gallery dedicated to historical portraiture of the famous and a relief  that everyday people can be made to seem worthy in a culture obsessed with celebrity. 

But the subject of this entry has to be my disappointment with the jury’s overall selections.    >>

Nov 1st, 2009

Francine Savard @ Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal

 til Jan. 3

Francine Savard’s mid-career retrospective at the Musee d’art contemporain de Montreal can be challenging for the viewer, but ultimately it is very rewarding work.  Taking some good time to view Savard’s oeuvre felt like a refreshing intellectual swim, both pleasant and stimulating.   >>