-- Advertisement --

                           

-- Advertisement --

Canadian Art

See It

Pulp Fiction: Comic Reliefs

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto Jun 27 to Aug 23 2009
Amy Lockhart  <I>Walk for Walk</I>  2006  Video still  Courtesy of the artist  © Amy Lockhart Amy Lockhart Walk for Walk 2006 Video still Courtesy of the artist © Amy Lockhart

Amy Lockhart <I>Walk for Walk</I> 2006 Video still Courtesy of the artist © Amy Lockhart

Offbeat, dreamy and sometimes downright weird, “Pulp Fiction” is overflowing with hallucinatory creatures like an alcoholic frog, walking hamburgers and even an unduly jovial airplane. These comic beings populate the drawings, paintings, videos and installation works of 14 graphic artists who wryly reference popular culture and take their unique blend of weirdness from surrealism. Often working by free association, their work remains in perpetual narrative flight, skirting rigid classification and remaining open to myriad interpretations. As exhibit curator Corinna Ghaznavi explains, “[The artists’] narratives are filled with unexpected twists and free-floating objects, snippets of stories that are sad, ironic, and funny.” Very much an ode to the tradition of outsider art, the delights of “Pulp Fiction” arise from its ability to defy gallery expectations and offer up an unconventional view of the world—one where anything goes as far as narrative trajectory is concerned. (952 Queen St W, Toronto ON)

This article was first published online on July 16, 2009.

RELATED STORIES

  • CONTACT 2009: Still Revolutionizing Photography

    The theme of this year’s CONTACT photography festival, “Still Revolution,” functions as a double entendre: not only does it conjure photography’s capacity to arrest a revolutionary moment on paper, but it also points to the medium’s ongoing technical evolution.

  • Nicolas Baier & Valérie Blass: Pas de Deux

    MOCCA pairs the first Toronto solo show by rising Quebec star Valérie Blass with a travelling survey of fellow Montrealer Nicolas Baier. The combination promises forceful evidence of a burgeoning Belle Province art scene.

  • Vacation Visits: Cross-Canada Shows to Catch During the Break

    Too cold to toboggan, but too cabin-feverish to stay home? Fortunately, the holiday break’s a great time to check out museum shows. Here’s Canadian Art’s suggested vacation visits from the west coast to the east.

 

FOUNDATION NEWS

More Foundation news

ONLINE

  • Will Munro: Ecstatic Legacies

    In 2010, at the age of 35, Toronto artist/DJ/promoter/activist Will Munro succumbed to brain cancer. Here, David Balzer reviews the first big survey of Munro’s work, which makes apparent how talented, prolific and perceptive this creator was.

  • Painting Canada: Artistry in the UK

    The Dulwich Picture Gallery’s recent Group of Seven show was one of the UK museum’s biggest hits ever, drawing 41,000 visitors. The attention was deserved, writes Sarah Milroy, as the exhibition offered new insights even to seasoned Canadian-art observers.

  • David Altmejd: In the Belly of the Beast

    The Occupy movement has galvanized the way we think about haves and have-nots. But where do artists fit in? As Joseph R. Wolin observes in this review of David Altmejd’s show at the Brant Foundation, context can be as powerful as content in determining the split.

  • A Stake in the Ground: When Language Wounds

    What happens to identity when our relationship to land and language is disrupted? This is a key question raised in “A Stake in the Ground,” an exhibition of works by 25 First Nations artists, curated by Nadia Myre, that’s currently at Montreal gallery Art Mûr.

  • Canadianartschool.ca: Tips for a Successful Winter Term

    Our education and careers site has just posted more stories and tips to help students achieve a great winter term. Highlights include a profile of internationally renowned fashion designer Jeremy Laing, a Q&A on grad schools and more.

More Online

- Advertisements -



- Advertisements -
Report a problem