'Revolver' is the name of a set of shows, but also an attitude to curating that we adopted at Gallery One One One in 2008. That attitude results in exhibitions in which individual art objects and even solo shows share the same gallery space as if they are what they usually really are, that is, independent entities that merely happen to be temporarily adjacent to one another. A similar point of view is taken by contemporary curators and gallerists, whether consciously or not, in the design of most contemporary art fairs and biennials. Before the era of the art fair, perhaps twenty years ago, an installation artist might have insisted that their work could only be shown within an exclusive physical space, but we now see every kind of artist -- and especially installation artists -- completely undisturbed by what might occupy the space or the booth next to their work. A great sensitivity about the placement of things in a gallery space is always of great importance, but we may be ready to reject the idea that an art gallery is either a white cube or a black box that requires certain ideologies of coherence in order to function well: What if a gallery were just a space? The 'revolver' attitude can be summed up in a radical question: Why not put art on the walls and floors as if the gallery did not exist?
Revolver Gallery One One One Schedule 2008-2009:
Revolver Uptown ONE 25 September to 16 October 2008
Opening reception: Wednesday, 24 September, 5-8 PM with Sarah Crawley, Sarah Anne Johnson, Lisa Stinner.Note: All Revolver shows included a revolving display of Art School Anatomies art.
Revolver Uptown TWO 23 October to 13 November 2008
Opening reception: Wednesday, 22 October, 5-8 PM with Craig Love, Johanna Schmidt, Lisa Wood.
Revolver Uptown THREE 20 November to 12 December 2008
Opening reception: Wednesday, 19 November, 5-8 PM with Derek Brueckner, Susan Close, Karen Hibbard, Bruce Kirton.
Art School Anatomies Demonstration with Dick Averns and Jeanne Randolph happened in the Art Barn lecture space (Building 21) on Wednesday, 19 November 2008 from 8-10 PM. Art school anatomist Dick Averns's art was also shown at Gallery One One One along with a revolving display of art from the Gallery One One One collection and/or School of Art faculty, staff and associates. An Art School Anatomies panel discussion with Morris Wolfe, Marilyn Baker, Dick Averns, Jeanne Randolph and Cliff Eyland happened on Thursday, 20 November at 5 PM in RM 207 FitzGerald.
Les Newman: "Major Solo Retrospective" (North Wall) 15 January to 2 April 2009 Opening reception: Wednesday, 14 January, 5-8 PM with an artist's talk in the Art Barn at 8 PM - A solo exhibition of Les Newman's work has been long overdue at Gallery One One One. Newman is perhaps most widely known for works shown at Plug In ICA several years ago that dealt with his experiences as a telephone market researcher. Since then much of his work has consisted of computer drawings and graphics that he re-photographs so that the finished work is at several removes from its digital source. Since 2000, he has continued to make this photo/digital work, but most recently he has been making paintings that build on the methodologies of his previous text and digital prints.
Revolver Downtown ONE 15 January to 5 February 2009
Opening reception: Wednesday, 14 January, 5-8 PM with Liz Garlicki, Paul Robles, Dominique Rey, Cyrus Smith
Revolver Downtown TWO 12 February to 5 March 2009
Opening reception: Wednesday, 11 February, 5-8 PM with Paul Butler, Richard Dyck, Richard Hines, Collin Zipp.
Revolver Downtown THREE 12 March to 2 April 2009
Opening reception: Wednesday, 11 March, 5-8 PM with Roger Crait, Andy Gamache, Sandee Moore.
Many thanks to the Manitoba Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, School of Art staff and volunteers.