The performed object
The performed object
Curated by Todd A. Davis

Presented in partnership with LIVE: the Performance Art Biennial

The art object, since the death of painting in the late 1960s, might admittedly be living in the uncertainty of a true pedigree and unsettles any ranking of the fine arts. This small exhibition will continue this lineage while viewing art objects in relation to performance art. Time-based performance art is informative, otherworldly, sensuous, outrageous, sometimes unscripted and at other times, in the words of some people, “just plain weird”. It is based in presentation concepts which evoke ‘time’ and ‘body,’ often losing much in translation through documentation: “You just had to be there!” Not so with these artworks.

The object, or the art object, is not what comes to mind in relation to performance. Although our immediate thoughts will land on a theatre of the absurd vision, these works extend the idea of performance and allow the viewer an intimate interaction. While the term ‘props’ comes to mind, these works extend to the performed object, and can be considered a tool of the performance concept: an object which extends the idea; an object which takes on iconic territory resulting from the performative work; objects which could be considered an artwork endowed with the artists’ individual reflections created through the performance act. Performance artists many times utilize ‘objects’ during the event, integral to the development, and execution, of the performance. This exhibition bridges the “having been there” of performance art and the critical discourse around object making – art works in their own right.

John G. Boehme is a multidisciplinary artist living in Victoria, British Columbia. Boehme’s extensive exhibition history involves projects in all regions of Canada, as well as exhibitions in China, France, Mexico, Finland, Serbia, Chile, Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others.

Gathy Falk’s work has worked across the disciplines of sculpture and performance since the 1960s. She has exhibited and performed internationally.

Jason W. Fitzpatrick has been involved with artist-run culture for many years as the Co-founder of the 536 collective in Vancouver, and The Space in Saint John, New Brunswick. He has shown at grunt gallery, CSA Space, the Belkin Satellite and Helen Pitt Gallery in Vancouver, as well as in exhibitions in recent exhibitions in Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, Windsor and Seattle.

David Khang received his MFA from the University of California at Irvine in 2004. Recent performances and exhibitions have been staged at the Western Front and grunt gallery in Vancouver, as well as Franklin Furnace (New York), Alternator Gallery (Kelowna), and Latitude 53 (Edmonton).

Glenn Lewis & Kate Craig: Glenn Lewis is one of the founders of the Western Front, has worked variously in performance, film, video, photography, ceramics, sculpture, and writing, and has exhibited internationally. The late Kate Craig was one of the pioneers of video art in Vancouver, and a prolific performance artist who was sometimes known as “Lady Brute” whose projects were exhibited throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Glynn Davies-Marshall is a processed-based artist, with a MA in Fine Art from the Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.

Eric Metcalfe was born in 1940 in Vancouver. His recent projects have been shown at the Kamloops Art Gallery, Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Charles H. Scott Gallery (Vancouver), and the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. In 2006, Metcalfe was awarded The Audain Foundation Award for lifetime achievement.

Oraf Orafsson is a Vancouver artist.

Randy & Barenicci are an enigma.

Ikbal Singh has been active in the art communities of Toronto and Vancouver.

Victoria Singh is originally from New Zealand. She works as an artist as well as being the curator of performance art at the Western Front.