Summertime in Paris: Laid-back in Montreal
Janet Werner Rabbit on the Rocks 2006–07
Though summer weather has been hard to come by this year in many parts of Canada, there have still been plenty of cleverly themed group shows on offer to mark the season in the art world. From Clark & Faria’s David Bowie–inspired exhibition to Diaz Contemporary’s “Air Conditioned Jungle” to the Vancouver-wide "Drawn" festival, summer shows manage to appeal to new and seasoned viewers alike by offering a wide variety of work organized into themes inspired by the slower pace of the vacation season. Now, Parisian Laundry’s annual summer exhibition, “Summertime in Paris,” offers a Montreal-inspired twist on the group formula with a selection of whimsical paintings, photographs and sculptural works from the gallery’s stable of Canadian artists.
Winnipeg-born, Montreal-based painter Janet Werner, whose work often humorously appropriates figures from pop culture, here offers Rabbit on the Rocks, a hybrid rabbit/human pin-up girl posing in front of a rocky landscape that is clearly influenced by Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Virgin of the Rocks. Tia Halliday’s personalized watercolour depictions of her friends, which are collaged together into composite portraits, offer a more subdued portrayal of the female figure, while Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist Alex da Corte’s photos documenting his assignment-based Activity performances are part portrait, part dare. Rounded out with works by Alyssa Andrews, Valérie Blass, David Humphrey, Geoffrey Jones, Jennifer Lefort, Rick Leong and Nathan J. Wasserbauer, the exhibition promises to provide summery fare no matter what the weather outside. (3550 rue St-Antoine O, Montreal QC)
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Alex da Corte From the Activity series 2007– |
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