Viva! Art Action 2009

Exhibition

September 12 – September 20, 2009
Curator: karen elaine spencer

Project Description

For the 2009 Viva! Art Action festival, Skol has granted “carte blanche” to Joshua Schwebel, Jennifer Bélanger, Irene Izquierdo and Birte Endrejat. The four artists will be continuing their research into social and public space for the full ten days of the festival. Each artist will be pursuing concerns that relate to the specificities of their practice in the public sphere, and if they choose to exhibit in the gallery, it will host their work.

To view the festival’s complete programming, please visit vivamontreal.org

Birte Endrejat (Germany)

Birte observes selected spaces to document their ordinary, yet specific attributes. The nature of her documentation speaks of an underlying anxiety as to the very possibility of affirming existence.

Joshua Schwebel (Canada)

Joshua intervenes in the space between expectation, event and recollection. His work shifts the expectation that things are as they seem, making every step a step into doubt.

Irene Izquierdo (Spain)

Irene disturbs social norms. She disobeys the unspoken rules imposed by the architecture of public space through the embodiment of a counter position.

Jennifer Bélanger (Acadia)

Jennifer thumbs her nose at standardized norms of polite conduct. She materializes unexpected twists of logic, throwing the absurdity of our agreed upon codes of conduct, into relief.
“I have always believed that if hair was meant to keep me warm, I should have some on my nose and forehead. I get an intense satisfaction in frightening pigeons and would one day, enjoy contributing to the research that will make them eat and enjoy cigarette butts. On the dreary days when inspiration reels and the tip of my nose shadows my line of vision, I write myself letters of encouragement and send them in the mail.”