LAB 6.4: The Vegetarians, Yvette Poorter
January 19, 2007 - January 19, 2007In the LAB 6.4, Yvette Poorter re-contextualizes historical works of art from the Gallery?s permanent collection?including landscape paintings, still life, and animal figurines?with her own photographs to create an installation in the manner of an 19th century salon exhibition. Invoking sociological study with an erotic twist, Poorter posits the grain-fed, free-range, handsome, healthy, urban vegetarian man as contemporary muse and object d?art. During her time on the West Coast, Poorter was struck by the quality and diversity of vegetarian dishes available.
Poorter says that since leaving BC she has been eating ?bison burgers in the Yukon, ostrich steaks in Ontario suburbs, smoky Portuguese chicken in Montreal and now, I find myself somehow living in the land of cold cuts (Holland). In other parts of the world being vegetarian is often frowned upon as pretentious or even insulting and there is absolutely nothing to the calibre of the Victoria potluck anywhere else.? Poorter?s previous projects examine social customs and behaviour, and also investigate how individuals negotiate the social in space and time through constructed environments.