Local art exhibition misses the mark (unfortunately)

Obligation to support local art leaves journalist weary

Teghan Beaudette

Photo taken by Cameron Bulloch

Supporting local art has always been extremely important to me. Not only for fear of running into these local artists upon writing a nasty review, but also because local art requires fostering by local media in order to be appreciated on a wider scale. Unfortunately, upon viewing Subconcious City, the newest exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), I had difficulty fulfilling my palpable journalistic duty to support local art. The exhibit represents not only the good but also, unfortunately, the bad and the boring.

Credit must be given where credit is due. There is a solid representation of photography in the exhibit, a medium which is often ignored and absent from the WAG. Sarah Crawley offers a contribution, which is a result of a fascination with and appreciation for handcrafted items. She uses multiple photographic processes on shots taken (I prefer to imagine them stolen) from the back alleys in the West End. The photographs are distinctly artistic and their presentation is engaging. Her photographs respond delicately to a materialistic consumer world that has long been an impetus for artistic expression. The piece is one of the more thoughtful contributions to the exhibit.

There are some thought-provoking pieces in the exhibit, but in some cases the thought being provoked is: “Really? This is art?” I feel far from capable of determining the answer to that question, yet cannot escape the feeling that a piece constructed out of hundreds of Bounty paper towel rolls is not. This piece includes television sets, which show the exhilarating creation of the Bounty paper towel mountain. Perhaps the artists felt their paper towel creation might be misunderstood without the addition of the “making of” video. Perhaps it is only the uneducated that do not understand the significance of a piece that mildly resembles an outdoor scene (snow, trees and . . . paper towel rolls) that is constructed out of a consumer product. Or, perhaps it is simply not the profound expression of what it was intended to be.

From photographs to oil painting, performance art, sculpture and film, the exhibit provides a wide variety of pieces. However, aside from the work of very few (Guy Maddin makes a noteworthy contribution) the exhibit is, frankly, boring. Subconcious City is especially disappointing in light of the WAG’s recent successes. The Andy Warhol exhibit followed by PostSecret were well-attended, and for good reason. The art was interesting. Is it really fair to compare the exhibit to those which have drawn national attention? I’m not entirely sure if it’s fair but I can’t, in good conscience, recommend that anyone pay the admission fee to the gallery to view the exhibit.

I suppose that’s not an entirely bad thing, as the opening is free. You can decide for yourself if the art stirs anything within you. John K. Sampson and Christine Fellows will be performing at the free opening on Feb. 14 from 7:30 to 11 p.m.