OUT OF THE WOODS
June 25th – September 3rd, 2016
1338 Franklin Street
Vancouver, BC
V5L 1N9
Goldmoss Satellite presents Out of the Woods where eight artists have come together to exhibit artworks that evoke a didactic exchange with the viewer about the process of emergence. The term “out of the woods” dates back to the Romans 1792 as meaning “Out of the unknown” and implies something that has been hidden and thus is being revealed.
“Coming out” is often used in the context of sexuality which artists like Tanmaya Bingham allude to in her work, Pleasure; this mixed media work she shows a Swan’s neck being held and exposed like a male’s sexual organ. In the same vain, Caroline Weaver’s oil painting Big Bowl Of Yin Yang, exhibits how an intimate and domestic still life of a floral arrangement when intertwined with sensual serpents can quickly become a public object when it has a flashy oversized neon diamond on it.
The repeated bling factor theme is also seen in Lee Roberts’ bird skulls which have been dipped in metallic material and adorned with crystals. Although Lee and his wife Bon have a strong affiliation, bordering obsession, with birds their approach couldn’t be more different. Lee’s work addresses mortality while Bon’s work is about life. In fact, her large oval photos of chicks transport the viewer into the intimate world of birth and fertility.
Artists Ben Tour and Jay Senetchko’s interpretation of Out of the Woods, is more literal. Tour’s graffiti style work, Father, has a tiger leaping out of an abstract forest. While Senetchko’s monochromatic painting, Industry Toolpush, which seems to be paying homage to the Industrial Revolution, depicts men working in the context of a bleak factory that countermands all notions of nature except that of human nature.
At first when observing Derek Hunter’s 3D work the viewer is challenged when trying to conceive how a crab in a water tank’s holding pool fits. Then upon closer inspection it becomes clear that it is more about the materials used, as the mini diorama tank structure is “coming out” of manufactured wood.
When thinking about the exhibition title, Taylor Swift’s song Out of the Woods might also come to mind. In her music video she is being chased by wolves and fighting against the forces of nature hoping for reprieve from her situation. Perhaps Goldmoss Satellite had Swift’s Song in mind when orchestrating this show as their invites feature a howling wolf.
Whatever the motivation was, this exhibition showcases how talented artists when given parameters of a theme can emerge with their own unique take on the same subject.
