Last week we ran a critical review of Dick Averns’s War Art Now part of a residency he’s doing through the Canadian Forces. This provided the opportunity for a great discussion between myself and Averns about the nature of art writing and the problem of critiquing work with tight word counts and a broad audience. At what point does the subjective nature of arts reviewing drift away from the objectivity it also requires?
“Issues of globalization and the commandeering of space are not addressed so much as simply displayed through sensationalized images of war” is the concluding paragraph of last week’s review. Averns argues that many of the diptych images in his show don’t even feature war images let alone sensationalized ones. In his current collection six images contain violent depictions of conflict six do not and one image came in somewhere in between.
The only way to decide what you think about his work and all of the issues raised in last week’s article is to check it out yourself at Studio 6B in Art Central. The final day of open studio time to drop in check out the work and have a discussion is March 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
You can also get into the discussion by telling us what you think about arts writing in Fast Forward and beyond on our website ffwdweekly.com.
EYES AS SKIN AND SHAPES CUT OUT / FBC WHACKS! THE VAG
Don’t it make an editor proud. Two regular Fast Forward arts contributors are showcasing their work this month.
Andrea Williamson will have a solo exhibition “Eyes As Skin and Shapes Cut Out” at Untitled Arts Society from March 20 to April 10.
Jasmine Valentina and the rest of the Feminist Book Club present their response to the second-wave feminist show “Whack!” at the Vancouver Art Gallery. “FBC Whacks! the VAG” runs from March 19 to March 22 at Art Spot.
