John Abrams, Carl Beam (Ojibway), Michael Belmore (Ojibway),
Andrew Danson, Bonnie Devine, Gyula Kalko,
Vincenzo Pietropaolo, Greg Staats (Mohawk), and Badanna Zack.
John Abrams [ biography ]
[ cv ]
[ website: The Canadian Art Database ]
[ contact ]
Carl Beam [ biography ]
Michael Belmore [ biography ]
[ contact ]
Andrew Danson [ biography ]
[ contact ]
Bonnie Devine [ biography ]
[ website: The Canadian Art Database ]
[ contact ]
Gyula Kalko [ biography ]
[ website: The Canadian Art Database ]
[ contact ]
Vincenzo Pietropaolo [ biography ]
[ contact ]
Greg Staats [ biography ]
[ website: The Canadian Art Database ]
[ contact ]
Badanna Zack [ biography ]
[ cv ]
[ website: The Canadian Art Database ]
[ contact ]
A History Show, 2006
Group exhibition (painting, photography and installation)
[ selected photographs ]
SPIN Gallery, 1100 Queen Street West, 2nd floor
[In association with SPIN Gallery].
Representation of the epic events of history was once the exclusive domain of the grand academic tradition of history painting serving the political
and economic interests of the ruling elitel. Today, artists freely interrogate official historical
narratives and culturally specific personal and collective memories inform their perspectives on history. This group exhibition featured artists searching for new ways to interface with history through
painting, photography, video or installation.
John Abrams' panorama of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham depicts the historical
event showered with gold sparks to interpret the scene with a subtle sense of irony and give expression to its mythic position in Canadian history.
The late Ojibway artist Carl Beam's provocative aesthetic rejects Western historical and cultural hegemony, collapses
hierarchies, and incorporates Native world view on equal footing.
Gyula Kalko explored parallels between historical works of art and contemporary events. Circle of History XIV suggested
that similar ideologies are at play in the provocative parades on Gay Pride Day and the pagan bacchanalia
processions depicted on the frescoes of the Palazzo Farnese in Catholic, 17th Century Rome.
Bonnie Devine's multi-media installation Trees Standing in Water is offered in homage to Toronto's rivers, the Don,
the Rouge and the Humber.
The importance of waterways that the trading aboriginal nations have navigated for thousands
of years is also the subject of Michael Belmore's sculptural relief, Shorelines.
Beyond personal memory, the photographic portraits of Japanese Canadians (Andrew Danson), members of Toronto's Italian
community (Vincenzo Pietropaolo) and families of the Six Nations Reserve (Greg Staats) are testimony to at times troubling
chapters in Canadian history, while Badanna Zack's collection of newsprint skulls makes powerful commentary on the role of
the media in the construction of history.
YOU ARE HERE [audio project by Lewis Kaye]
For the audio file for this site, please right-click the link below
and select "save target as (pc) /
download linked file (mac)".
SPIN Gallery (7 MB)
You Are Here instructions
1) Download each track to your personal computer
and add them to your favoured MP3 player software (e.g. iTunes, WinAmp, etc.) library.
2) Create a playlist specifically for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche,
and download this playlist to your portable MP3 player.
***Please note that while you can play the tracks on a normal stereo speaker system,
You Are Here is a binaural audio project specifically designed for personal stereos.
For full effect, each track should be listened to with headphones.
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