Saturday, October 1, 2011

the last post... and adieu le dernier poste... et adieu

and so we have reached our final room.  and i must confess that the exhibition finished last weekend.  Winnipeg no longer graces the walls of Paris, rather it now sits in crates awaiting the south of France, where it will continue on to Sète until next May.  Thank you so much for following the blog, and taking advantage of the link between Winnipeg and Paris. Be proud Winnipeggers, we put on a great show!!  keep on creating with your open spirits, and i will see you at the party when i get back home.  xo geneviève levasseur.     genlevasseur@gmail.com

alors nous sommes à la dernière salle.  et je dois confesser que l'exposition est fini depuis dimanche passé.  Winnipeg n'est plus ici sur les murs de Paris, mais plutôt attend dans des boîtes pour continuer au sud de la France à Sète, où il restera jusqu'à mai.  Un grand merci pour avoir suivi le blog, et de prendre avantage de ce lien entre Winnipeg et Paris.  Soyez fiers, les winnipegois, car c'était un grand succès!  Continuez à créer avec vos esprits ouverts, et je vous verrai à la fête dès mon retour.  bises,
geneviève levasseur.  genlevasseur@gmail.com

From Guy Maddin's room, we descend to the basement where Noam Gonick curated How Winter Kept Us Warm.  He believes that under all our layers of clothing and coats in the winter, there is still a fire that burns within us.  Here he shows us some of the more intimate works perhaps kept secret by these known artists.  Perhaps Winnipeg is an especially sexually charged city, or maybe nude physical contact is the only way to keep warm through our frozen hell.

De la salle de Guy Maddin, on descend au sous-sol où Noam Gonick à commissioné Comment l'hiver nous tenait chaud.  Il croit qu'endessous de toute nos couches de vêtements d'hiver qu'il y a un feu qui brûle.  Ici il nous montre des pièce plus intimes de grands artistes Winnipegois.  Peut-être que Winnipeg est une ville plus chargé sexuellement ou peut-être que le contacte physique nu est la seule façon de nous tenir chaud.

the room when entering...
la salle quand on rentre...

AA Bronson, We are the Revolution, 1998 (silkscreen and diamonds)
AA Bronson, Nous sommes la révolution, 1998 (sérigraphie et diamants)

Before the construction of the new Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art in Winnipeg, AA Bronson did a performance to summon good energy on the old Army Surplus site, seen above.

Avant la construction de la gallerie de beaux arts Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art à Winnipeg, AA Bronson a fait une performance pour faire appel aux bons esprits sur site.

A.A. Bronson was a founding member of the collective General Idea.  Here you can help yourself to an orgasm chart, by General Idea, to get a general idea of your orgasm routine over a year.

A.A. Bronson était un des membres de General Idea.  Ici tu peux prendre un "orgasm chart" pour avoir une meilleure idée des orgasmes pendant un an.

General Idea, Orgasm Chart, 1970
General Idea, Tracé de l'orgasme, 1970

Tim Gardner, Untitled (Naked Runner), 1998
Tim Gardner, Sans titre (coureur nu), 1998

We will circle the room from the left, starting in this corner.

On va voir la salle par le côté gauche, commençant dans ce coin.

Lionel Lemoine Fitzgerald, Untited (Tree with Human Limbs), n.d.
Lionel Lemoine Fitzgerald, Sans titre (arbre avec membres humains) n.d.

Dan Donaldson, Softwood (From the series Knotty Wood), 2011
Dan Donaldson, Bois tendre (de la série boix noueux), 2011

Dan Donaldson, Honey Moon (From the series Knotty Wood), 2011
Dan Donaldson, Lune de miel (de la série boix noueux), 2011

Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline, Untitled (from the series Rupertsland Handicrafts), 2006 (Silkscreen)
Krisjanis Kaktins-Gorsline, Sans titre (de la série artisanats de Rupertsland), 2006 (Sérigraphie)

Jake Kosciuk, Untitled, 2000
Jake Kosciuk, Sans titre, 2000

Jake Kosciuk, Untitled, 2000
Jake Kosciuk, Sans titre, 2000


The Slomotion, Untitled, 2010
The Slomotion, Sans titre, 2010


The Slomotion, Untitled, 2010
The Slomotion, Sans titre, 2010



When we turn out of the corner, we are faced with this section. So starting on the right hand wall...

Quand on se retourne du coin, on voit ceci.  Donc on commence sur le mur droit...

Cliff Eyland, Whip, 2008, Jack, 2008, Orgy, 2003, Pee Pee, 2008, Urine Gush, 2008
Cliff Eyland, Fouet, 2008, Jack, 2008, Orgie, 2003, Pipi, 2008, Jet d'urine, 2008

In 1991, Sharon Alward did two 8 hour performances over two days in honour of the women who took care of AIDS victims.  Using bull semen and blood, she spent 8 hours a day cleaning the floor with a rag in white dress and gloves.  The event was documented, and here we see stills from the video shown at la maison rouge.

En 1991, Sharon Alward a fait deux performances de huit heures pendant deux jours pour faire honneur aux femmes qui ont soigné les victimes de SIDA.  Avec le sperme et sang de boeufs, elle a nettoyée le plancher avec un tissu et en robe blanche pendant huit heures.  L'évènement était documenté, et voici des photographes du vidéo qui joue à la maison rouge.

Sharon Alward, Totentanz (Dance of Death), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Video)
Sharon Alaward, Totentanz (Danse de la mort), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Vidéo)


Sharon Alward, Totentanz (Dance of Death), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Video)
Sharon Alaward, Totentanz (Danse de la mort), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Vidéo)


Sharon Alward, Totentanz (Dance of Death), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Video)
Sharon Alaward, Totentanz (Danse de la mort), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Vidéo)



Sharon Alward, Totentanz (Dance of Death), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Video)
Sharon Alaward, Totentanz (Danse de la mort), 1990 (Performance), 1991 (Vidéo)


And here we are in the second corner.
Et nous voilà dans le deuxième coin.

Louis Bako, H. Swatz in Paris, 1985
Louis Bako, H. Swatz à Paris, 1985

Louis Bako, The Holy Crack, 2006
Louis Bako, La sainte fente, 2006

Louis Bako, River Flowers (Your Beautiful Cunt), 2011 (paint and grass, etc)
Louis Bako, Fleurs de rivière (ta belle chatte), 2011 (peinture et herbe, etc)

Jordan Van Sewell, Mechanical Love, 2011
Jordan Van Sewell, Amour mécanique, 2011

When we turn from the corner, we see this.
Quand on se retourne du coin, on voit ceci.

In the box is a sattire Life Magazine by Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, A Day in the Life of a Bulldyke: Protrait of a Modern Sex-Deviant.

Dans la boîte on voit un satire de la revu Life par Shawna Dempsey et Lorri Millan, Un jour dans la vie d'une Bulldyke: portrait d'un sexe-déviant.


Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, A Day in the Life of a Bulldyke: Protrait of a Modern Sex-Deviant, 1995
 Shawna Dempsey et Lorri Millan, Un jour dans la vie d'une Bulldyke: portrait d'un sexe-déviant, 1995


Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, A Day in the Life of a Bulldyke: Protrait of a Modern Sex-Deviant, 1995
 Shawna Dempsey et Lorri Millan, Un jour dans la vie d'une Bulldyke: portrait d'un sexe-déviant, 1995


Linda Pierce, Pussy Fingers (Vanilla), 1993
Linda Pierce, Pussy Fingers (Vanille), 1993

Linda Pierce, Pussy Fingers (Chocolate), 1993
Linda Pierce, Pussy Fingers (Chocolat), 1993


Karel Funk, Untitled #49, 2011
Karel Funk, Sans titre #49, 2011

Kevin B.C. Stafford

Kevin B.C. Stafford


Kevin B.C. Stafford

and the final wall...
et le dernier mur...


Larry Glawson & Doug Melnyk, Early Days, 1986
Larry Glawson & Doug Melnyk, Premiers jours, 1986

Mélanie Rocan, Untitled Series, 2004-2006
Mélanie Rocan, Série sans titre, 2004-2006

Mélanie Rocan, Untitled Series, 2004-2006
Mélanie Rocan, Série sans titre, 2004-2006

Erica Eyres, Petra, 2006

Erica Eyres, Abi, 2006

Robert Pasternuk, Surfaces #7, 1985

C. Graham Asmundson, Pooh Bare, 2005
C. Graham Asmundson, Trou de cul, 2005

Richard Williams, #16 Garden of Delights (Naked Block Party), 1997
Richard Williams, #16 Le jardin des réjouissances (Naked Block Party), 1997

Richard Williams, #1 Educating the Children (Naked Block Party), 1997
Richard Williams, #1 Eduquer les enfants (Naked Block Party), 1997


Facing the wall of drawings is a video by Ed Ackerman where he places a bathtub outside during winter, and full of water while heating it from below with fire.

En face des dessins et peintures, on voit un video de Ed Ackerman où il place un bain à l'extérieur pendant l'hiver, et chauffe l'eau par endessous avec un feu.

Ed Ackerman, Campfire Bathtub, 2010, (Video)
Ed Ackerman, Baignoire sur foyer de braises, 2010, (Vidéo)

Sharon Zenith Corne, Chiquita, 1973

Bonnie Marin, Escaping the Farm, 2009
Bonnie Marin, En s'échappant de la ferme, 2009

Bonnie Marin, Domestic Disturbance, 2010
Bonnie Marin, Perturbation domestique, 2010

Andrew Valko, Skype Connect, 2011
Andrew Valko, Connection Skype, 2011

Diana Thorneycroft, Untitled, 1990
Diana Thorneycroft, Sans titre, 1990

and now an interview with Cliff Eyland:

1- Have you been to Paris, or shown in Paris before? (when...what...?)
I have been to Paris a couple of times, beginning at the age of fours months(!) but I have never shown in Paris before, and I'd venture that very few of the other artists in this exhibition have shown in Paris either. 

2- How would you compare the art scene in Winnipeg to Paris?
We don't think of Paris as a contemporary  art centre for us, since most of us are anglophone and feel more comfortable in New York or London, but obviously that will and has changed: the Maison Rouge show is, of course, especially likely to change all that. My interest in art history and the museums of Paris is intense, but not all contemporary artists share my interest. These institutions will always be sacred to me, even if every once in a while they permit  a Cy Twombly destroy a ceiling or two in the Louvre (how was that permitted?).

Winnipeg is being viewed in this exhibition ethnographically, as if it were a special place in the world, and of course, that way of looking at art is both strangely outmoded and yet it has, in a simple way, become "normal" and ever more important to today's art. What I mean is that we ALL think of ourselves "ethnographically" now. Witness the writing of actual ethnographers such as Sarah Thornton, whose analysis of the contemporary art world in "Seven Days in the Art World" seems so perfect. So if we feel that we are getting the ethnographic treatment as artists, we should be cautiously accepting of it. And so we return the favour to Paris in our crude way, because we ignoramuses want Paris to remain the Paris of the 1920s -- we want it to be a Woody Allen film. We want French mistresses -- we still want to say to Ingrid Bergman "we'll always have Paris." We are pathetic little creatures.

3- What about Winnipeg's art community do you feel makes it unique?
Of course it is not unique --  there are no unique places. There is a work ethic here and a commitment to making objects  that might seem unusual, especially given that there is almost no art market in Winnipeg, but all that is negotiated by Winnipeggers within a much wider art world.

4- When away from the Winnipeg winter, do you miss it?
I miss the Winnipeg winter during the Winnipeg summer! 

5- What colour is your winter parka, and do you brave the season in sneakers, or prefer the warm comfort of boots?

I have a black $800 arctic explorer parka and the best boots, so I could sleep in a snowbank at minus 40 degrees if I wanted to. 

Thank you Cliff for the final thoughts, and a good way to end the blog.  I will now get on a plane back to winnipeg, dust of my winter parka, and prepare for winter, the time to hide away and make create.

Once again, thanks for following. I wish you could have been here for the events, the performances, the collage parties, and the screenings.  To walk the halls, and streets of Winnipeg, in Paris.  It was quite sad to visit la Maison Rouge the last time, with everything gone, and the walls empty... but i'll be home soon!
Aurevoir!!   genlevasseur@gmail.com

Encore une fois, merci d'avoir suivi le blog.  Je souhaitais que vous pouviez être ici pour les évènements, les performances, les collages parties, et les films.  À marcher les couloirs, et les rues de Winnipeg, à Paris.  C'était triste à ma dernière visite à la maison rouge, avec tout partit et les murs vides... mais, je serai chez nous bientôt!
Aurevoir!!      genlevasseur@gmail.com