Laurel Woodcock: take me, I?m yours

Sight, sound, memory, taste and touch are used to probe themes of language, the occult, the relationship between technology and nature, and the ominous potential of the familiar in take me, I’m yours, recent works by Laurel Woodcock. The five components of this exhibition use technology to both entice and challenge the audience. The artist uses ambiguous juxtapositions to make the viewer attempt to decode cultural references. In one work, operetta, the viewer watches the spastic dance of a dying fly while listening to the love song from Stanley Kubrick’s classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The incursion of chaos in both nature and technology is demonstrated with Woodcock’s signature deadpan wit and affection.

Laurel Woodcock is a pioneer in the realm of new media. Her work integrates technical means with intellectual and emotional content. Woodcock is currently Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Guelph University where she is establishing courses in New Media, Video and Performance Art.

This exhibition leads our fall investigation of film in contemporary art practice.

Samurai: The Warrior Class of Japan

The samurai of old Japan were amongst the greatest, most courageous, but also most cultured warriors in the world. The samurai followed a strict code of behaviour known as Bushido or the way of the warrior. The samurai’s life was directed by righteousness: he must not disgrace his status and must live up to the…

The LAB 3.3: Wendy Welch Order of Blue: A Contingent Agreement

Referring to Lawren Harris’ monochrome arctic paintings, Welch addresses the idea of landscape painting through the creation of a relief painting/sculpture that combines traditional perspective with non-traditional materials….

The LAB 3.2: Tamsin (T.) Clarke Fringe Lake Campsite

Is Tom Thomson our Jim Morrison? Did Thomson?s mysterious death jettison him into his star status in Canadian Art? Star-making is a cultural phenomenon, one that we seem to be fascinated by, perhaps a product of Andy Warhol?s thoughts that everybody has a chance at fame. This exhibition originates in the examination of myths, truths…

The Group of Seven in Western Canada

The Group of Seven in Western Canada adds a new dimension to Canada’s famous art movement. This group of inspired landscape painters formally coalesced in 1920 to publicly challenge Canada’s image of itself, both through its landscape and its artistic traditions. The Group’s 1920 inaugural showing included work by founding members Frank Carmichael, Lawren S….

Yoko Takashima: face-scape

The Art Gallery has commissioned a work by Victoria artist Yoko Takashima. For this exhibition, she addresses the Group of Seven’s status as an icon of national identity. At the same time, she questions the undercurrent of Euro-centrism, colonialism and patriarchy that is embedded in the readings of their work. Takashima’s time-based, interactive project will incorporate ongoing responses of Gallery visitors and generate a cumulative image to reflect the “face” of these consumers of Canadian identity.

Japanese Print Masters: Hiroshi Yoshida and his Son Toshi

Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) was a prominent figure in the modern Japanese print movement. Keenly aware of the influence of ukiyo-e prints on Post-Impressionism, Yoshida combined artistic theories native to the West with traditional techniques rooted in Japan. The result was an updated, Westernized version of the traditional ukiyo-e print. His output was tremendous and he…

The LAB 3.1: Roy Green Black Lab

Nostalgia, loss and humour inform this mixed media project, comprised of photography, drawing, painting and video. Green investigates fictive narrative, family history and the adoration of pets through the devotion of his grandfather’s favorite pet, a black Labrador retriever named “Champion High-Park Buddy.”…

Pierre Dorion: Solo

A 20-year retrospective of the paintings of this prominent Montreal artist exploring themes of
isolation and the isolation of the work of the painter. Dorion’s work has reflected his interest in
art history, with his paintings evoking imagery of little known artists or Renaissance masters,
inventors of perspective boxes and the camera obscura. Architecture plays an important role…