Remembering postmodernism : trends in recent Canadian art

164 Pages·1991·7.5 MB·English

by  Cheetham, Mark

REMEMBERING
POSTMODERNISM
TRENDS IN RECENT CANADIAN ART
Mark A. Cheetham with Linda Hutcheon

REMEMBERING POSTMODERNISM
Trends in Recent Canadian Art
Mark A. Cheetham with Linda Hutcheon
TORONTO OXFORD NEWYORK
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1991
OxfordUniversityPress,70WynfordDrive,DonMills,OntarioM3C 1J9
Toronto Oxford NewYork Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi
PetalingJaya Singapore HongKong Tokyo Nairobi DaresSalaam
CapeTown Melbourne Auckland
andassociatedcompaniesin
Berlin Ibadan
CanadianCataloguinginPublicationData
Cheetham,Mark
Rememberingpostmodernism
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-19-540817-9
1.Postmodernism-Canada. 2.Art,Canadian.
3.Art,Modern-20thcentury-Canada.
I.Hutcheon,Linda, 1947- . II.Title.
N6545.5.P66C48 1991 709'.71 C91-093126-7
Coverimage:JoanneTod,Self-PortraitasProstitute.
CourtesyofCarmanLamannaGallery,Toronto.
DesignedbyHeatherDelfmo
Copyright MarkA.CheethamandLindaHutcheon1991
OXFORDisatrademarkofOxfordUniversityPress
1 234-93 9291
PrintedinCanadabyD.W. Friesen&SonsLtd.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PLATES
vii
PREFACE
ix
INTRODUCTION
1
REMEMBERINGART'SPAST
11
REMEMBERINGTHESUBJECT
39
REMEMBERINGSOCIETY
73
WORKSCITEDANDCONSULTED
1O3
AFTERWORD
byLindaHutcheon
Postmodernism'sIronicParadoxes: PoliticsandArt
1O9
WORKSCITED
131
NOTESONARTISTS
135
INDEX
143
Dedicatedto
thememoryof
LAWRENCEELLIOTHARVEY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thisbookis the result ofover fouryears ofinquiry and consultation, so
naturally I have many people and institutions to thank for their encour-
agementandsupport.RememberingPostmodernismbeganwithmyresearch
foranexhibitionentitledMemory Works,whichwasinitiatedasaresponse
to a challenge put by two visionary people, TJ. Collins, Vice-President
Academic and Provost ofthe University ofWestern Ontario, and Nancy
Poole, Executive Director of the London Regional Art and Historical
Museums,bothofwhomsawtheneedforgreaterinteractionbetweenthe
UniversityandtheGalleryinLondon, Ontario.Thisoriginalencourage-
menthasbeenmaintainedbybothinstitutions. Iwishto thank the Can-
ada Council and the Ontario Arts Council for enabling funds and the
Faculty ofArts at Western for granting me a Research Professorship in
1989-90 to completemy text. Two research assistants at Western Sonia
Halpern and Anita Utas helped with innumerable details. My thanks,
too, to MarieFleming,PaddyO'Brien, andespeciallyJudithRodgerand
RichardTeleky myeditoratOxfordUniversityPress fortheirenthu-
siasmandadviceatcrucialjunctures.
Ihavelearned a great dealfromthe artistswhoseworks I discuss here.
All have been generous with their time and ideas, and their collective
excitement about this investigation ofmemory and the postmodern has
often sustained me. My particular thanks go to Bruce Barber, Allyson
Clay, andJoanne Tod. Linda Hutcheon's interest in and contribution to
RememberingPostmodernism has been for me a tremendous source ofplea-
sure and inspiration. Her knowledge of postmodern discourses is
unequalledandhermagnanimityinsharingherinsightsisamodelforall
scholarsandcritics.Mysincerehopeisthatshewillwritemorefrequently
onthecontemporaryvisualartsinCanada.
ThisbookisdedicatedtothememoryofLawrenceE. Harvey, mylate
father-in-law. In a bittersweet way, it is to his affliction with and death
fromAlzheimer'sDiseasethatItracemyowninterestsintheworkingsof
memory. But recollections ofhis keen intellect and unbounded zeal live
on through Elizabeth D. Harvey, to whom I also dedicate this work in
gratitudeforthecountlessthoughtswehavesharedaboutmemory.
PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
1. CourtesyofSheilaAyearst.
2. FromTheUniversityofLethbridgeArtGallery.
3. ArtGalleryofOntario,Toronto.
4. CourtesyofGregLudlow.
5. MendelArtGallery, Saskatoon,photographbyA.K. Photos, Saskatoon.
6. ArtGalleryofOntario,Toronto,Purchase, 1975.
7. CourtesyofAllysonClay.
8. CourtesyofJoanneTod. PhotobyPeterMacCallum.
9. CourtesyofCarmenLamannaGallery.
10. CourtesyofNeilWedman.
11. PhotobyErnestMayer,TheWinnipegArtGallery.
12. PhotocourtesyWynC. Geleynse.
13. Collection ofthe Artist. Courtesy ofthe Wynick/Tuck Gallery, Toronto,
Ontario:PhotobyCherylO'Brien.
14. CourtesyofAliceMansell.
15. CourtesyofAngelaGrauerholz.
16. CourtesyofSylvieBelanger. PhotobyBarrieJones.
17. CourtesyofVernHume.
18. PrivateCollection.CourtesyoftheWynick/TuckGallery,Toronto,Ontario.
PhotobyCherylO'Brien.
19. CourtesyofCarmenLamannaGallery. Photoby CherylO'Brien.
20. NationalGalleryofCanada, Ottawa.
21. CourtesyofJaneBuyers. PhotobyTomMoore.
22. CourtesyofWilliamMacDonnell.
23. CourtesyofMelvinCharney. M. Charney.
24. NationalGalleryofCanada, Ottawa.
25. CourtesyofBruceBarber.
26. CourtesyofStanDenniston.
27 &28. CourtesyofGeoffMiles.
29. CourtesyofJaneCorkinGallery,Toronto.
30. Art Gallery ofOntario, Toronto. Gift fromthe Peggy Lownsbrough Fund,
1987. Used by permission ofCanadian Artists' Representation Copyright
CollectiveInc.
31. CourtesyoftheCarmenLamannaGallery. PhotobyPeterMacCallum.
LIST OF PLATES
1. SheilaAyearst, ThreeMinutes(1988;o/c, 5'x 14'). Artist'scoll'n.
2. GeneralIdea, The UnveilingoftheCornucopia:AMuralFragmentfrom theRoom
with the Unknown Function in the Villa dei Misteri ofthe 1984 Miss General Idea
Pavilion(1982;paintedplasterboard,plywood,five4'x8'panels).Universityof
Lethbridge.
3. Andy Fabo, TheCraftoftheContaminated(1984; o/wood, 228.6x213.4 cm).
ArtGalleryofOntario,Toronto.
4. Greg Ludlow, AH Conditions Are Temporary (1984; paint, pastel, wood on
panel,243x396cm).Artist'scoll'n.
S.JoeFafard, Vincent(1985;bronze,patina,oil;99.7x68.5x 19.2cm). Mendel
ArtGallery, Saskatoon.
6. MurrayFavro, Van Gogh'sRoom (1973-74;mixedmediawithprojection;2.13
x3.65x9.14m).ArtGalleryofOntario,Toronto.
7. Allyson Clay, 'Eye to Eye', fromLure (1988; o/c, 4 x 13" x 13"). Art Bank,
Ottawa.
8.JoanneTod,RedsonGreen(1978;acrylic/canvas,43" x51").Artist'scoll'n.
9.Joanne Tod, Approximation (1988; o/c, 7' x 10'). Carmen Lamanna Gallery,
Toronto.
10. NeilWedman,DeathRay(1987;pastel/paper; 18 sections; totaldimensions:
12'x24'). Artist'scoll'n.
11. Marcel Gosselin, TheObservatory (1986; mixedmediasculpture, 190x30x
30cm). Artist'scoll'n.
12.WynGelynse,FearofMemory(1990;mixedmediainstallation).BrendaWal-
laceGallery,Montreal.
13.Janice Gurney, Screen (1986; photostats, cibachromes, plexi; 38.5" x 143").
WynickTuckGallery,Toronto.
14. AliceMansell,Manoeuvre(1986;o/c; 5'x7'). Artist'scoll'n.
15. AngelaGrauerholz,Basel(1986;b/wphoto, 121x 161 cm).Art45,Montreal.
16. SylvieBelanger,oneelementfromEssaideSynthese(1990;6lightboxes,61 x
20x 165cmeach,wood, slate,video). Artist'scoll'n.
17.VernHume,LamentedMoments/DesiredObjects(1988;videoinstallation).Art-
ist'scoll'n.
vn
Plates
18.Janice Gurney, The Damage is Done (1986; o/c, 49" x 66"). Wynick Tuck
Gallery,Toronto.
19. RobertWiens, TheRip(1986;wood, glass, 75-wattlights, 1.2x .9x 1.8m).
CarmenLamannaGallery,Toronto.
20. CarlBeam, TheNorthAmericanIceberg(1986; acrylic, photo silkscreen, and
pencilonplexiglass,213.6x374.1 cm). NationalGallery, Ottawa.
21.Jane Buyers, Language/Possession (1987-88; mixed media: sculpture, 43.1 x
30.5x20.3cm; drawings,25.4x20.3cm). Artist'scoll'n.
22.WilliamMacDonnell,22July 1968/16Nov. 1885(1986; lead, acrylic/canvas,
168x336x5cm). Artist'scoll'n.
23. MelvinCharney,LesMaisonsdelameSherbrooke(1976;16.4xl5.8xl2.0m).
Photo: MelvinCharney.
24. Barbara Steinman, Cenotaph (1985-86; mixed media). National Gallery,
Ottawa.
25.BruceBarber,NamII(1990,mixedmedia). Artist'scoll'n.
26. StanDenniston,Reminder#20(1979; 2 silverprints, 42.5 x 100cm). Artist's
coll'n.
27. GeoffMiles,excerptfromForeignRelations(1987; 2'x7'). Artist'scoll'n.
28. GeoffMiles,excerptfromTheTrapper'sPleasureoftheText(1985;20" x24").
Artist'scoll'n.
29. Nigel Scott, MaillotNoiretBlanc (JulieDiving} (1986).Jane Corkin Gallery,
Toronto.
30. Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge, No Immediate Threat (1986; one of 10
cibachromephotographs,50.0x29.5cmeach).ArtGalleryofOntario,Toronto.
31.Joanne Tod, Self Portrait as Prostitute (1983; acrylic/canvas, 59" x 55").
CarmenLamannaGallery,Toronto.