ArtToronto

Category: Haafiz Karim

  • Tony Scherman: “Black October”

    Georgia Scherman Projects Gallery
    October 20 – November 26, 2011

    Toronto based artist Tony Scherman is best known for his perfection of the encaustic technique; a painstaking and challenging process involving the dripping of  wax, one colour at a time, directly onto canvas.  Black October  features thirteen pieces, consisting of large-scale encaustic paintings some combining the technique with oil pastel. It is not the technical skills displayed in these paintings however, that captures the viewers interest but rather the exploration of a narrative based on the October Crisis.  Despite the weakness in metaphorical allusion, Scherman’s paintings still manage to capture his view on this important aspect of Canadian history, based substantially on Pierre Trudeau, his influences and to some extent personal life.

    Trudeau, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas, 84 x 84 in. Courtesy of Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto

    Black October can be seen as a response, reflection and personal interpretation of the series of events that happened in the month of October 1970, an episode called the ‘October Crisis’.  In the press release by Georgia Scherman Projects, the essential understanding behind  Black October is stated: “Scherman imagines a broad historical and social context for Trudeau’s authorization of the War Measures Act.” What  makes this episode powerful and emotional in Scherman’s view?

    Fear, love, brutality, death and ego are the dominant themes of this exposition and transcend into the physicality of the artworks. It could be the large round eyes and sullen pout in Pierre Trudeau’s portrait that lead us to associate his persona with a distinct egotism.  Imaginably, it could be the quiet smugness brought out by the partial exposure of Barbara Streisand’s face that leads us into the realms of Trudeau’s love life, making it a source of influence in the eyes of Scherman.  The face of Machiavelli together with the presence of Karl Marx proceed to make this narrative dark or perhaps furtive giving us reasons to believe that the October Crisis was much more than just a public scandal: rather it was a result of several factors and historical influences.  One could say that Trudeau is represented as Canada’s Napoleon.

    Machiavelli, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas,  84 x 72 in. Courtesy of Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto

     Tony Scherman has constantly insisted that he isn’t an ironist, yet some of his work, perhaps the entire Black October series may lead us to think differently. From the presence of the trilogy of flower paintings  The Death of Pierre Laporte and Conversations with the Devil to the somewhat superficial subject matter, this exhibition  may intensify our reason to believe differently.

    Nun, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas, 54 x 60 in. Courtesy of Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto

     We must remember that Tony Scherman deploys the use of subtlety; instead of painting the Quebec workers on strike he chooses to display more glamourized aspects of this moment of history, such as the face of Barbara Streisand,  giving the presentation of the involved themes a quiet but powerful undercurrent. Furthermore, the physical appearance of the artwork, does play a particularly important role in the manifestations of themes imagined by the artist. For example: the scab-like texture of the encaustic paints makes for a very striking collection of artwork, whilst outlining the wounds within Canadian history, even if unintentionally.

    Haafiz Karim

  • Susan Hiller: The Last Silent Movie

    PREFIX INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART
    September 22–November 26, 2011

    Mysticism and intrigue are both key themes in Susan Hiller’s “The Last Silent Movie.”  This video projection and collection of etchings is based upon the recordings of some of the last remaining speakers of twenty-five endangered or extinct languages and plays a dual role as both a memento and a candid protest to the tragic loss of heritage and culture.

    Often including song, poetry and story-telling, these recordings are relayed in an informal setting evocative of a traditional movie house, with the translations being projected as subtitles on a fairly large wall. The recordings include Khulkhasi, Yao Kimmien, Jiwali, Ubykh and Welsh Romany.

    Common motifs of these recordings appear to be the loss of heritage, fear and concealment. Frequent anecdotes and humorous tales make this illuminating experience very heartwarming, not to mention entertaining.Susan Hiller, The Last Silent Movie, 2007. Lenape, 46.25 x 51.5 cm. Courtesy the British Council & Timothy Taylor Gallery (London) / Photo Credit: Toni Hafkenscheid

    Accompanying this auditory presentation is a series of etchings, depicting artist-selected phrases from the recordings, fed into an oscilloscope and put on to paper. All the twenty-four etchings present a single line that rises and falls depending on the unique elements of the specific utterance. While the audio recordings provide a tremendous auditory experience, the etchings are a visual equivalent.

    Haafiz Kalim

  • General Idea: Mondo Cane Kama Sutra

    Mondo Cane Kama Sutra (installation view) 1984, acrylic on canvas. 10 canvases, 245 x 305 cm each. Image courtesy the Estate of General Idea; © Pierre Antoine, Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris / ARC, 2011.

    ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO
    July 30, 2011–January 1, 2012

    “Haute Culture” is a preeminent opus of the collective General Idea that features approximately 300 pieces of artwork, consisting of paintings, magazines, sculptures and video.  Being an extremely unconventional trio, General Idea’s artwork reflects this by the materials and sometimes colours used which often vary from loud neon shades to whites and blues all intricately corresponding to various themes presented.

    One piece that highly stands out, however, is the Mondo Cane Kama Sutra, 1984. This features a running theme of three poodles each on ten panels, carrying out various sexual positions. What makes this piece so remarkable is the neon colour of the poodles presented on the canvases and the scale of the panels, creating a gigantic eye-capturing façade. The fact that this artwork brings out a taboo in human society, homosexuality, makes the artwork all the more appealing in light of its daring attempt to depict an often misunderstood subject. The lines used in this piece are undoubtedly straight and perhaps unyielding and this may be a subtle allusion to the rigidness and ‘straightness’ of society in the 1980’s  juxtaposing the general theme of the artwork.

    Haafiz Karim