Praire pride

ICA show exposes our flatland’s hidden beauty

WILL O’DONNELL, VOLUNTEER STAFF

First and foremost, before I talk about this show I must offer a kind warning: do not let the 260 McDermot Ave. address confuse you. This gallery is in fact showing in two spaces side-by-side. The four “star pieces” of the show are separated into a smaller gallery at 260 while the remaining works of the other 15 artists are neighbouring it at 266. (Don’t worry; there are large signs to help against the confusion I absentmindedly suffered.)

That embarrassment behind me, Plug In: ICA’s latest project, “Scratching the Surface: the Post-Prairie Landscape,” is an engaging presentation of multiple disciples and styles of art. Ranging from multimedia, site-specific pieces to traditional paint on canvas, I found myself wanting to approach and examine each work closely. There is something about the presentation of landscapes that I find most captivating.

So many pieces had wondrous textures and minute details that hide many stories within them, such as a delightful, multi-canvas piece called “Palimpsest.” Some contain the mechanical grime and rust of the cityscape, such as the simply titled “Components for a Mechanical Landscape” (forgive me for forgetting to note artist’s names . . . all the more reason to see them yourselves), while many others contain the dancing, windswept colours of our own familiar prairies.

The “star” pieces I referred to above, that were separated from the rest, made for interesting choices to highlight. The one used as a promotional example for the showing is “Northern Landscape” by Simon Hughes. This piece satirizes stereotypical views of Canada while harkening to the future-visions of our time (or thenabouts) that were had in the ’60s and ’70s. Symmetrical lines define this vision of Eskimos living in a combination of environmentally controlled domes (the future-vision) and small wooden huts (the stereotype).

Another satirical piece is “Geological Survey” by David Perrett. Again, like Hughes’ work, Perrett creates perfect measurements of lines. Said lines are that of a cage, which trapped beautiful rubble within — a stab at modern industrialization using natural materials.

“Leaf” by Melanie Bone seems as delicate as the dying, autumn leaf it portrays; but there is something visceral and unnerving about it. The size and colour of it, while adding to the realism of a leaf, seems to imitate the body (or just a body part) of an animal, perhaps even a human. The long spines seem like flesh rotting off of the ribs of a corpse. There is no doubt something beautiful, but also nightmarish, evoked by the enormous presence and presentation of this grand piece. The final piece of the separated star four is the unfortunately titled, “Sushi Express” by Esther Warkov. Perhaps that was too harsh, but to me that name proved only to be an undeserving distraction from what is a captivating piece of work. This piece makes brass colours seem less industrial and more whimsical as they hold together phantasmal images of faces and relics of the inner city.

There is more worth highlighting than just those in the 260 building, but that time is better spent by you experiencing them rather than just reading about them. There’s no admission to enter and no reason to exclude a visit while walking around Old Market Square (just a stone’s throw from the King’s Head or Cinematheque). The ICA continues to provide inspired shows and these artists help to put a wonderful spin on this quaint, river city around us; if not the whole world.

This show runs until Nov. 17, 2007 and information can be obtained by calling (204) 942-1043.