August 30 – October 24, 2010 – An exhibition of my linoleum cuts work commissioned by The New York Times
Reviewing my own work miles away from my studio and its primary intended public exposure – A collection of my original linoleum cuts commissions from The New York Times. An event organized since , by the Burnaby Art Gallery in British Columbia, Canada. This exhibition is also being held, at the same time, at a second location as well at the McGill Library.
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Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown 2010, Burnaby,BC, Canada #06
The Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown a modern facility, a respond to the need of an numerous overnight landed population, spacious and functional – Ranking number one attended Canadian public library – Largely attended by a young population appearing to be extremely studious, make it feels more like a university library.
My exhibited work was originally created for and published by the New York Times, never intended to be presented inside a library or any architectural space, less in an exceptionally large edifice.
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A linoleum cut published in a newspaper remains a one and only day even, ending its life by the evening into an ordinary recycling container – Society of ‘ephemeros’, disposable diapers, ‘disposable art’.
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Even so it is true, mainly with paintings and sculptures, that art works [with big pretentious “A”] has been integrated with habitat, [and again with an even bigger “A”] to architecture, it is not by far this only function. Such a concept will be restrictive, in Westerner culture leaning towards [amount other things] an over publicized Renaissance influence. A damaged/distorted popular vision: a Mona Lisa painting hanged on a wall! Two stone carved lions at the entrance of a given emperor palace, a bank, a university, a tribunal …! Making us miss the overall trueness of men king multiplicity for visual creativity – More recently in time, [in a less positive note] concepts supported by easy takes, inducing the one to facilitate marveling at consumption.
Routinely again and again, it is a cliche to associate the origin of visual art with ‘painted/decorated caves’, a convenient assumption of facts from historians who are referring only to what has ‘survive’ [spared from] time destruction. There is rather an eminent logic that suggest that overall humanity has endlessly created ‘none lasting’ art works, not necessary intended to be ‘preserved’ or as a legacy for generations to come – A linoleum cut published in a newspaper remains a one and only day even, ending its life by the evening into an ordinary recycling container – at the most – Society of ‘ephemeros’, disposable diapers, ‘disposable art ‘
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #02
In a more humble manner, but not necessary less relevant or strongly expressed, art forms has been integrated [amalgamated] to very simple daily ‘ordinary’ objects, most of them with utilitarian functions. In a library we are able to find evidence of visual arts associated with words, in books and closer to our contemporain time in newspapers, magazines and various other media material.
Here my work is presented standing up on walls, to be view vertically, from far away distance – A true challenge as its preliminary was conceived to be view in a newspaper, horizontally, from a near distance – Will the experiment turn feasible?
A chance to communicate away from my original backyard, and newspaper environment/conception as well – This art work gets a second life, a longer one, free from stories, text, font and page design – Geographically located miles away near by a different ocean, at the Asia’s door versa the Europe’s one .
exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown , 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #03
The second floor of the library has a central extra large rectangular balcony – Dividing partitions, braking the enormous space onto private small alcoves, down to human scale – No disturbance while studying and reading, except for my pictures hanging over attenders’ heads – In a ‘world’ partitioned into cells, images and people alike struggle to survive.
exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #05
Showing original work versa newspaper print reproduction is the idea – Protective glass surface and black matting gives feeling of Asian lacquers, an between world from exterior surrounding – Attended by a young Asian members whose ancestors mastered the hight relief technique carving and printing wood blocks, a technique I embraced and adapted [my response to communication needs] – Youngster attending the library favor the newest electronic devices, unaware that many graphics applications elements are directly linked to high relief carving and printing, presently in display above their head!
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Walking down the alley
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exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #04
Walking down the library alley looking for an engineering report, a biology chapter? – Response to unexpected written test? – Bottled of water to prevent brain damage from dehydration – A screaming wall displays a child with an oversize head, dying in Africa, lacking water – Every females from his tribe brutally raped – Never appeared in the Times, would it had made any different, raze any awareness?
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #07
Walking down the library alley – “200o Death in Contest” walking down the battle field alley – What knowledge is expected to return, in return, if any returns?
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #08
Once in the Book Review – “Mother’s Body” – Premature young woman “departure ” from ‘modern’ disease – Funeral men, like fishermen routinely pulling ropes? Making a living on the dying? – Something to catch, someone to be called fresh ‘caught ‘.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #09
A view from my studio in Manhattan – A linoleum cut from the official New York Public Library’s web site, transplanted in a Burnaby Library’s wall – 6 hours of plane fly, different locations, similar bodies bending over desks, similar minds collecting someone else formulas, data, thoughts – My picture: shelves of apples and pears, the library: shelves of books.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #10
Hands holding head in hope to overcome fatigue, wording resisting entering a mind – View of the Manhattan’s Hudson river, night time will unlikely provide pain relief, endless ‘howling at the moon’.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #11
Stretching on one wall, hands asking for help ? Hands as a defensive mode against one more rapist? – Girl chased by a man – Girl in a cubical, hands on a hey board protected by a wall of books.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #12
“Coup d’Etat in Thailand”, wording for an other rebellion – Statues of buddhas, tanks frozen like ancient lacquer, timeless on slick fresh painted wall – Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, yesterday fame and glamour, city-hall has no time to count its homeless population now – Hopes of dissolving on its own, like Olympic snow.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #13
Buying a Christmas tree in Brooklyn, New York, imported tradition and family values, a father argues the price in Russian – Now that the natives have disappeared, exile from origins is haunting replacing residents.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #14
An other riot in Paris’ suburbs, Bastille Day’s tradition? – Uprise of united unprivileged immigrants youngsters, tossing cars like French crepes – A quiet library attended only by disciplined, studios and affluents young immigrants, each one a them individually recycling thoughts or legends.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #15
Tranquil and well equipped, orderly and sturdy facility, lasting stability as no one expect an earth quake – A recording of chaos and destruction, sometime ago in Iraq a war – “Après moi le déluge “, said Louis the king.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #16
Deluge on a wall in a weather proof ‘compound’, sturdy concrete columns – Sudden slashes of black strokes, violence from ‘natural disasters’! Hardly a distraction from ‘surnatural’ ones?
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #17
Pictures unfold from one partition to the next – A re-written scene script reveal itself, a movie theater screen? – A walk free of charge, a picture or a side ? Replacing all, projecting on walls? – Unless, leaving black and white enamel patterns for reflexions.
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie Library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby, BC, Canada #18
Her “American Eagle since 1977” bag – Her mother’s birthday date? Playing with finger nails she wanders – His heavy head, words cast out of lead, letterpress – Why me and why now? And why from one generation to the next, it is the same ‘stuffing’ of the brains?
Exhibition at the Bob Prittie library at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby,BC, Canada #01
Indoor to outdoors alleys leading to ones single path – A define walk, none on get lost – Frames inside frames – Entering exits, same infinite point – Where do I belong in time and space? Where to go next?
Exhibition at Bob Prittie Library Exhibon at Metrotown, 2010, Burnaby,BC, Canada #19–
Continue viewing my exhibition at its second location: The McGill Library
View my on line catalogue of the exhibition: ” The New York Times Commissions “
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Acknowledgement
I gratefully acknowledge
- the editors and art directors of the New York Times for considering and trusting my works and commissioning me assignments bases on important and difficult issues.
- Darrin Martens, Director/Curator of the Burnaby Art Gallery for organizing and sponsoring this exhibition.
Special thanks to Susan and Bob.
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Library location
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Bob Prittie Library, 6100 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia,Tel: 604.436.5400
open Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
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Card texts are a copyright of the Burnaby Art Gallery 2010. Linoleum cuts, photographs and texts copyright Raymond Verdaguer, 2010.
