We’ve wondered about the Conservative Government’s plan for cultural spending for some time now. It has started to seem like a sinister re-evaluation of cultural priorities and this scares VoCA. Ken Lum, What an Idiot. Image: burnaway.org Few people are talking about it, but here is an excellent piece by David Akin in the National Post: “The argument, it seems
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This is a just-unveiled bridge in Calgary. It crosses the Bow river and it’s causing division amongst Calgarians, some of whom object to its $24.5 million dollar price tag. Do you love it or loath it? VoCA wants to know!
VoCA loves Chicago. There is architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, the Hancock Tower, the Sullivan Auditorium….. …There is art: Chinese sculpture in Millienium Park, Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, and Olafur Eliasson at the MCA… Shen Shaomin, Kowtow Pump, 2007. Image: picasaweb.google.com We enjoyed the Kowtow Pump, 2007 by Shen Shaomin, which are large oil rigs painted in camouflage.
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Anish Kapoor’s sculpture, Cloud Gate, in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Image: flickr.com
Lately, we’ve become interested in art made by immigrants to Canada, and artists from other cultures whose work offers a refreshing counterpoint to the trendy things that come out of western art colleges. Natalia Laluque, Taste Canadian, Oil on canvas, photocopy on paper, 2006. Image: natalialaluque.com We profiled Inhyuck Song, an excellent Vancouver-based Korean artist whose work caught our attention
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It’s summer, and you don’t want to get too serious…so here are some easy shows to check out throughout July. Swing by for free nighttime screenings in Montreal, or get outside for public art interventions in Calgary. La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse Montreal In Montreal, stop by La Centrale’s window to see these screenings, which are about appearance and transformation. From
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Above and Below July 18 – 12 September, 2009 Foreman Art Gallery, Bishop’s University Sherbrooke, Quebec Penelope Stewart, Cloche, 2008. 12′ x 10′ double photograph ( on vinyl), in the woods. Image: penelopestewart.ca
Richard Rhodes, editor of Canadian Art magazine, will curate the 7th Alberta Biennale at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton. Walter May, History, 1989. Image: ccca.ca Rhodes, who is planning a series of studio visits with artists from the province, commented on how many great and overlooked artists are living and working in Alberta. He plans to mix in
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Finally! In Paris, the largest all-female art exhibition in the world has opened at the Pompidou Centre. elles@centrepompidou will bring together a selection of over 500 works and over 200 artists, including Sonia Delaunay, Frida Khalo, Dorothea Tanning, Joan Mitchell, Maria-Elena Vieira da Silva beside contemporary giants Louise Bourgeois, Rosemarie Trockel, Rachel Whiteread, VALIE EXPORT and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. Katie Pretti,
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An inspiring story from Edmonton on how artist Kristy Trinier is shaking things up in Edmonton as the Public Art Director for the Edmonton Arts Council. Kristy Trinier and Davide DiSaro, Inkognito, 2005. Image: skewgallery.com The above work by Kristy Trinier was a collaborative sound and light installation for an exhibition of paintings by Sverre Bjertnaes at the Trondheim Kunstmuseum
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Andrea Carson writes on contemporary art, architecture and design...