This is a great sounding/looking exhibition currently up at MKG 127 Gallery, which I plan checking out within the next few days. If you're in town, why not take a jog down our fine city's recently maligned Ossington Avenue and check it out too?
I Can’t Stop This Feeling: Crisis, Comfort, and Craft, an exhibition of new work from Toronto/Hamilton based collective, SHAKE -n- MAKE.
Opening Saturday May 30 2-5 PM
"We grew up in the 70s, in the midst of turmoil and social upheaval. Planes were hijacked, gas was in short supply, the traditional family was in flux, and an American president resigned in disgrace. Through the lens of Afterschool Specials, we saw the world as a crisis waiting to happen; we learned that trauma was just beyond the wood paneled walls of our Rec room. Not surprisingly, we sought comfort in all things homey and homemade. Collectively, an entire culture tried to craft its way back to the 50s, only the tools, and rules, had changed. Try as we may, Betty Crocker’s canned concoctions, macramé and string art, shrinky dinks and felt banners, embroidery and toaster cozies, didn’t make life any simpler or safer. But still we persist."
SHAKE -n- MAKE is a collective that was inspired by the discovery of vintage Betty Crocker recipe cards. On the heels of a personal loss, the unearthing of these retro recipes culminated into a desire to craft a way out. SHAKE -n- MAKE is motivated by a shared experience of growing up in the 1970s, where survival, crafting, and popular culture defined not only an era but also our childhoods.
Claudia Manley is a writer and crafter who is interested in almost everything. She is currently obsessed with sewing and hunting and recently was awarded a Writers’ Reserve grant from Coach House Press. Claudia is interested in navigating the tension between the rustic and the refined.
Liss Platt is a multimedia artist who works at the intersections of digital arts and craft. Liss is interested in using ‘hobbyist materials’ to re-envision high modernist traditions. While exploring compulsion and repetition, Liss retains connections to nostalgia. She is currently an Associate Professor in Multimedia at McMaster University.
Steph Rogerson is a crafter, artist, curator, and academic who believes there is critical power in television. Long-term interests include semiotics, photography, and queer theory. Current interests are Gordon Ramsey, Adam Lambert, and embroidery.
SHAKE -n- MAKE would like to thank Shasti O’Leary Soudant, Ian Manley, Karen Valino, Cecila Berkovic, Liz Abram, and Vesta-la.
The exhibition continues until June 27.
MKG127 is located in Toronto at 127 Ossington Avenue between Queen and Dundas Streets at the NE corner of Ossington Avenue and Argyle Street.
Hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 12 to 6 PM or by appointment.
For more information call 647-435-7682.
I recently conducted the following interview for Toronto Craft Alert, a contemporary craft blog and excellent local art and craft resource. Barb Hunt is a Newfoundland-based artist and educator, whose work I was lucky enough to be introduced to by a beloved teacher in art school a few years ago. Her political and often poignant work employs craft processes to explore rituals of mourning and address the devastation of war.
For more on Barb and her work, seek out the excellent book By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art edited by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro, or check out Barb's website: http://www.barbhunt.com
http://torontocraftalert.ca/2009/05/29/question-for-crafters-barb-hunt/
Pictured: The Old Lie, seams from used army fatigues, 3.5 X 8 m (2007) Installation at Stride Gallery, Calgary
Photo credit: Hutch Hutchinson
Eight Canadian artists muse on perception in this exhibition that asks what it is that captures our interest long enough to formulate opinion, describe a viewpoint, or gain insight. So many things are not what they seem – a mere glance is just not enough. Curated by Melanie Egan. Exhibition works include:
Chet Domanski - In remote areas of the Alberta wilderness, oil and gas wells keep the province’s economy moving. These wells are given new prominence through the creation of stunning bracelets that are machined from worn production tubing used at the wells. Each bracelet has a tag with a geographic reference point to allow the owner to find the location of the well.
Tara Bursey – Onion and garlic skins are employed to create a series of women’s gloves. Common food waste such as corn silk and garlic stems serve as embellishments while evoking anatomical details, skin conditions and cosmetic flaws. The gloves, while serving as an attractive foil, allude to the fragility and strength of the human body and the temporal nature of all living things.
Candice Ring - Functional porcelain vessels are influenced by nature, figure and history. Voluminous forms, rich surfaces and reference to 18th century English earthenware all play a part in the objects. Ring’s processes are similar to that of a tailor; cutting, darting, altering and mending fine porcelain are techniques used to give character and grace to each piece.
Also featuring works by Nadia Li Chai, Barb Hunt, Sarah Troper, Rachael Wong, and Arounna Khounnoraj.
For more information, and information about other shows happening at York Quay Centre this month, consult the Harbourfront Centre website.
