Critical Writing Index

Art as a way of life in festival show; [Final Edition]

by Nancy Baele

Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 16, 1989

Studios: Work in Process, curated by Jeanne Musiol, sets out not to showcase the finished product of artist's lengthly practices, but provide an atmosphere which encompasses the viewers as witnesses, and in some cases, collaborators in the process itself. Jean Cocteau's views on roles of art and artmaking stands as strikingly relevant in relation to this showcase, that art is not merely a painting hanging on a wall, but a way of life. These 16 artists, working in various mediums, challange traditional modes of linear viewing, and question the notion of the 'finished' work of art. In her review, Art as a way of life in festival show; [Final Edition], Nancy Baele makes evident the relevancies of provocation in viewing these works, stating "If one expects from dialogue, an exchange that leads to clarification, the exhibition delivers less than it should. But if one expects from dialogue the equivalent of chats with artists about the way they look at the world, the exhibition fulfills that function." (H8) This exhibition, as Baele outlines, "[gives the] sense of entering a series of stage sets" (H8) showcasing the ongoing dialogues and relations artists have to their work. The works of noted media and performance artists are involved, including Paul Couillard, Eva Manly, Frances Leeming and Clive Robertson. This exhibition contributes to ongoing dialogues concerning the spatial aspects of viewing and the importance of art as vehicle to question, not to prove. As Beale states, "Suggest, rather than define" ( H8)

ITEM 1989.128 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Marc Charbonneau

Blair Sharpe

Diane Genier

Adrian Gollner

Daniel Sharp

Jean-Yves Vigneau

Carla Whiteside

Jim Thomson

Tony Fouhse

Paul Couillard

Eva Manly

Frances Leeming

Clive Robertson

Mark Marsters

Chandra Chopra

Barbara Brown