1 post tagged “banff”

I finally made it to Banff yesterday to check out the 2007 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Walter Phillips Gallery, entitled Living Utopia and Disaster. For such a dramatic title I was expecting something more exciting, however, there were some cool pieces. I really enjoyed Jonathan Kaiser's installation Lost Boys and the Hundred Year Mortgage which requires the viewer to participate by entering the piece through a narrow entryway. Inside, it looks like a front-room of a nice suburban house, but something is wrong, water is dripping from the ceiling, liquid noises are amped in, buckets of water and bleach sit on the floor and small empty aquariums awaiting pets sit in alcoves on either side of this small room.

The work in the WPG's Bison Courtyard Satellite in downtown Banff was worth the sidetrip, featuring works by Terrance Houle & Jarusha Brown, Geoffrey Hunter, and two others whose names I forget (sorry!). TH & JB's Landscape photos are humorous comments on native identity and history on the contemporary landscape. Unfortunately, the 2007AB ends today, but definitely check out this satellite space if you're in Banff, even if you don't go up to the Banff Centre.

I also visited the Whyte Museum's Les Graff retrospective. Some evocative paintings from the alberta artist's collection are on exhibit, with emphasis on the artist's mountain landscape works.

Bcdn, banff jan2008