Exhibit explores idea of documentation
Carry Forward set to open at Dunlop gallery
An electronic totem inspired Lisa Myers to curate the Dunlop Art Gallery’s latest art exhibition.
The carved structures sometimes serve as a record or document in Indigenous cultures, and Mike Macdonald’s video version is no different.
Stacked five TVS high on a narrow shelving unit, the screens display people from the Gitxsan First Nation spearfishing and picking berries.
“His videos are actually documents of their bond to their land … so there’s a value to the skills and the knowledge that they have,” said Myers, whose work on Carry Forward began with an essay about Macdonald’s art practice.
The exhibition features pieces by 11 artists who explore the idea of documentation, including in historical texts and images.
“The absence of words or images also tells stories,” Myers wrote in her exhibition essay.
“Many documents take a format other than written text.”
Maria Thereza Alves sees plants as a form of documentation: The bougainvillea — native to Brazil — can be found in Senegal due to the slave trade.
Memory can be a record, albeit a limited one, which is why Brenda Draney’s painted paper scrolls have so much white space.
Myers provides a lot of context for each piece.
“I did a lot of writing for it because I wanted the work to be accessible to people,” said Myers, an independent curator who lives in Toronto and Port Severn, Ont.
“I think of the labels (accompanying each piece) as representing what I learned from having this work in the show.”
Her work on Carry Forward began in fall 2016. The Dunlop is the third location it has been exhibited.
The main exhibition is at the Dunlop’s Central library location, while the affiliated documentary by Marjorie Beaucage, Speaking To Their Mother, is screening at the Sherwood library.
Carry Forward’s opening reception is Friday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m.
Myers will be present to discuss the works.
The Dunlop Art Gallery is located on the second floor at 2311 12th Ave.