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Lorna Mills and Sally McKay
Digital Media Tree this blog's archive OVVLvverk Lorna Mills: Artworks / Persona Volare / contact Sally McKay: GIFS / cv and contact |
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Micah Lexier |
Kelly Mark |
Daniel Olson |
Kelly Mark's magazine-style art website, samplesize.ca is well worth a few visits (and participation! send in the writing, folks). On a recent browse, I really enjoyed Micah Lexier's Group Show 1. Minimalism that includes scary Ulay and Marina Abramovich but leaves out boring ol' Donald Judd. Conceptual art that includes the wonky Daniel Buren and omits the often pompous Joseph Kosuth. Now that's my kind of curation! This simple series of images resonates deep, giving background warmth to a kind of contemporary art that sometimes feels cold and bleak. While Daniel Olson is not on Lexier's list, I'd say that Olson, Lexier and Kelly Mark are three Candian artists with a particularly keen eye for understatement. They all take their minimalism seriously but they don't leave out the fun stuff. Lexier is the driest of the three, and the sense of quiet resignation I sometimes get from his art has turned me away in the past. His curation on samplesize, however, gives me some new thoughts about locating his work as a fine-tuned practice that is gentle yet precise. I was particularly happy to see a work by Eric Cameron: that sad-eyed, Quentin Crisp-like art history prof with a shaky hand, and an art practice that makes your skin crawl as he delicately and persistently coats objects with layer upon layer of white acrylic, nudging them into monstrous shapes that slowly grow ever larger as their true forms morph into obliteration.
Eric Cameron
I've been in USA for 2 months and therefore pondering cultural differences on either side of the border. One big difference is beer. Art types, intellectuals and urbanites in USA are scared of beer drinkers. As my friend Kris says, "Beer to me means football and date rape." Well, we have football and date rape here in Canada too, but somehow or other beer here also means art openings, christmas cheer, paddling a canoe, open mike poetry readings, hockey and just about anything else where people do stuff in a group. Imagine my relief to get home! And my surprise and delight to find out that a beer magazine paid for by our national beer store has sprung up during my absence!
Here's an excerpt from issue #1 of chill:
Trailer Park Boys Speak*(*if you don't know who the Trailer Park Boys are then you aren't watching enough Candian-content tv. click here.)
Chill: Would you be willing to clean up your act and stay out of jail so you don't sully Bubbles reputation like Jimmy Carter's idiot brother did?
Ricky: I don't understand what the f--- the word "sully" means. So because whoever asked this question decided to use big fancy school words that I haven't learned yet, I can't f---ing answer that.
Julian: Lots of people in jail have friends in politics. I think people will take us for who we are. We don't plan on trying to cover up anything. Cover-ups always turn into sh--storms, politicians should just try being honest.
And while I'm on the topic of loveable hosers:
Jack Black's star is rising (for better or worse) and we should remember to listen to Tenacious D once in a while ...you know, that it's-not-exactly-all-a-joke mock hard rock band that Black started with Kyle Gass. Crank it, listen, laugh, and rock out. It's inane boy stuff, but their 6th track, F--- her Gently, has a decidedly feminist bent. It's absolutely my favourite song with the word "Sally" in it. click for lyrics. (CAUTION: they really use a lot of swears)