IAT 222 Art Field Trip

Our TA for IAT 222 (Interactive Art) took us, a group of students, to a variety of different art galleries around Vancouver: Catriona Jeffries, Vancouver Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Centre A), Artspeak, Audain Gallery, and Or Gallery.

We also went to hang out afterwards at the Railway Club.

My review for my favourite stop of the day, Centre A:

The current exhibit at Centre A is "I can see your underwear" by Natalie Purschwitz and Kelly Lycan.

The pieces on display are all created with plastic materials. Most of which are from everyday objects that we throw away such as plastic bags, wrappers and styrofoam. The title of the exhibit is meant to start a dialogue of how we as a society should be ashamed of "being caught" and to realize how much plastic we use. I think it's meant to provoke thought as to the overuse of plastics and how it pervades every part of our life.

I liked all of the installations. There was a sense of fun and whimsical nature such as the exhibit titled "i can see your underwear" which was a swing. I got to swing on it and was intrigued by the different use of plastic ribbons and wigs to support the wooden plush seat.

My favourite installation was "NO NAME 1298", a variety of different packets of freezies hanging on a frame of metal pipes. For me, the variety of colors and odd juxtaposition creates a sense of fun architecture.

I'm not really sure how the installations are related to contemporary Asian art, but the exhibit itself definitely provokes a reflective experience and critical thought on the use of plastics in our society.

Here are some shots from the Centre A exhibit.

a little sunday art

I didn't realize there was an art show going on at the Vancouver Art Gallery until today. It's the first time I've been in the gallery, which is the (I'm not sure what type of architecture it is), it's the one that looks like a museum. I just did some Wikipedia-surfing and I think museum architecture has its own classification. But back to topic, the current main exhibit is Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The majority of the works are of more modern (1800-1900s) paintings, and sculptures.

I've been meaning to take a look at these types of works for a long time, but never really had an opportunity to. I had a good introduction to the majority of the painting movements. Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Modernism, Surrealism, and I'm missing some of the smaller movements. It does make a difference seeing these works of art in real life. You can't truly appreciate the skill that goes into creating these paintings without seeing the imperfections and the subtleties of the strokes and the unevenness of the oil on the canvas or whatever each artists medium of choice. Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rodin, and Dali. These are the major names that come to mind, and I finally see truly how different each of these major figures played in advancing modern art. It's a little elitist, but I have to admit, that not everyone will be able to understand or appreciate fine art. I'm not quite at that stage either, I'm still learning how to appreciate it.

The one piece that probably intrigued me the most was Salvador Dali's "The Dream". I was thinking of buying a print from the gift shop, but I couldn't perceive the shock I experienced from seeing the actual painting. The colors and hues are so vibrant, while they don't look the same on printed material. The subject matter interests me as well since it's about dreams, but it wasn't what primarily caught my interest. Just the stark contrast and vibrant hues with an oddness that defines surrealism. It speaks on a very philosophical level.