Toronto
posted by Terence Dick - September 28th, 2006.
The Toronto International Film Festival has come and gone but it’s worth noting that they’ve definitely established an ongoing relationship with the contemporary art world. What with innumerable artists referencing, appropriating and paying tribute to film (not to mention Pierre Bismuth winning an Oscar), it makes sense that they’d bring in a populist (not a bad thing) curator like Wayne Baerwaldt to program film and video installations for another year. This year he chose a film-loop by Jesper Just that I unfortunately never got to see it because it was only up for two weeks in the midst of one of the busiest months of the year.
I didn’t even get to see any movies, which is too bad because there always seems to be at least one feature by a contemporary artist (usually an epic by Matthew Barney). This year it was Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait by Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon. In the art world, this new work merits a cover and not one but two essays in Artforum. In the midst of a film festival, all it gets is a review in the Sports section of the Globe and Mail. I figured they might get lost amongst all the Hollywood stars so, with the help of a very persistent publicist who chose to overlook my lack of press accreditation, I arranged for an interview with the two artists.
Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon in Toronto
We spent our first fifteen minutes together trying to access the hotel roof so Parreno could smoke but gave up when Gordon couldn’t jimmy any of the many locked doors. Instead, we went to the bar and talked art. Shot during a 2005 soccer match with seventeen cameras all focussed on star player Zinédine Zidane (he of the infamous World Cup 2006 head-butt), their film is an exercise in observation and absorption. They came up with the idea almost ten years ago during a group exhibition in Jerusalem that happen to take place under a soccer stadium, but Parreno says, “We forgot about it and each time we met, we’d say, “Hey, what about this project? We should do it.’” Their chosen subject, however, had to be approached with diplomacy. Gordon repeatedly refers to the film as “a portrait of a working man” and I think his emphasis on the effort and concentration of playing the game at the professional level is what convinced the media-shy Zidane to participate.
Luanne Martineau, Figure, 2006, fabric
Later that same week, I had the pleasure of meeting Victoria-based artist Luanne Martineau. I was scheduled to give a talk on her current exhibition at Jessica Bradley Art + Projects as part of the Canadian Art Gallery Hop and listening to her speak with great authority and clarity on the technical and art historical aspects of her work put the fear of god in me. As in all my favourite art, there is a surfeit of readings to be found in her collection of drawings and fabric work. For my presentation, I decided to free associate around three themes I imposed on her practice and offered the title of my talk – Necks, Sweaters and Grids - to her for any future catalogues. In addition to my newfound appreciation for her art, I learned some practical things as well from Martineau; notably, that sailor sweaters varied in design so those who drowned at sea could be identified when they washed up on shore.
Part of the installation at 105 Robinson St.
The following Wednesday at The Goethe Institute, I attended the official opening for German-born, Toronto-based artist Iris Häussler’s ambitious and incredibly successful site-specific project The Legacy of Joseph Wagenbach. Those of you who responded to the suggestion in my last Akimblog posting to visit the archive project at 105 Robinson Street might have shared the same experience of jaw-dropping wonder I felt when I first stumbled through this strange house at the beginning of the month. Back in August, curator Rhonda Corvese sent me an ambiguous email suggesting I check out the unfamiliar address. Shortly thereafter I was at a dinner party nearby and headed over. I was told it was the home of an elderly recluse who was hospitalized after having a stroke. City trustees called in the municipal archives when an incredible array of concrete and plaster sculptures, many built into the walls of the house, were found. I thought I had discovered another Henry Darger. Back at my dinner party, I babbled breathlessly about the house. The next morning, I was sent a discreet email telling me it was actually an art project. After a moment of disappointment, I experienced a surge of awe at this artist (and Corvese, her dedicated curator) who created such a convincing piece of theatre, who imagined such a distinct artistic practice and who instilled in me more self-questioning than any exhibition I’ve ever seen. Judging by the attendance at the Goethe Institute’s opening, I wasn’t the only one.
John Greyson and David Wall, Roy & Silo’s Gay Divorce, 2006, video and sound installation
Finally, those of you who are in Toronto this weekend will have a chance to witness the success or failure of the city’s inaugural Nuit Blanche “all-night contemporary art thing.” Modelled on a similar initiative in Paris, this massive undertaking covers large swathes of the downtown and involves so many artists one friend wondered who they expect to attend the events – everyone is on stage! Maybe it’s because of the many years I worked as a lifeguard but all my recommendations involve swimming pools. John Greyson and David Wall present a video operetta about gay penguins at the Harrison Baths. FASTWŰRMS host a jam session between a living VJ and an un-dead DJ in the swimming pool at the University of Toronto’s Hart House. And artist-architect Christie Pearson has filled the pool at Trinity Community Recreation Centre with an international line-up of electronic, drone and psychedelic musicians from as far away as China. Grab a towel and start pool hopping!
Terence Dick is a freelance writer living in Toronto. His art criticism has appeared in Canadian Art, BorderCrossings, Prefix Photo, Camera Austria, Fuse, Mix, C Magazine, and The Globe and Mail. He is the media columnist for This Magazine, music editor at Broken Pencil and editor of Akimblog.
Jessica Bradley Art + Projects: http://www.jessicabradleyartprojects.com/
Luanne Martineau: FREAKOUT (Temporal Bodies) continues until October 7.
The Legacy of Joseph Wagenbach: http://www.haeussler.ca/legacy/
Installation at 105 Robinson St. continues until November 12.
The Goethe Institute: http://www.goethe.de/toronto
Iris Häussler: The Legacy continues until October 21.
Nuit Blanche: http://nuitblanche.livewithculture.ca/
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