Art Fag

By lili

Friday January 4, 2008

Apparently as the sugar hangover from Christmas and other seasonal festivities wears off, the realization that we’re all in some desperate need for some real culture swoops in and awakens our dying, candy coated heart. Therefore, even though there isn’t a lot going on this weekend, I felt it was of utter importance that we start the capitalist detoxification process and focus on trying to attend some places and events of a more interesting cultural nature than the best Boxing Week sale.

Little Mountain Studios‘ (195 e. 26th ave) answer to the post-spentyoursavingsonboxingweeksales blues is to create an event called “Free Shop”. The details are vague, but I believe there will be art happening and art things available… yes… for free. You’ll have to check it out on Saturday from 12pm to 5pm and afterward raise your fist in the air in your fight for free (it’s just so satisfying).

There are also some really great exhibitions ending in the coming weeks that I feel everyone should try and make it out to, to help in the re-culturification process. The first is at Artspeak (233 Carrall) until Jan. 12 called “Near Miss” and is a mix of video installation, text and photography by Kerry Tribe.

The second ending exhibition of photos, drawings and sculpture, is by our very hard working local art hero, Andrew Dadson. It is at the Charles H. Scott Gallery in the Emily Carr Institute until Jan. 13 and is called “Evening All Afternoon”.

The third gallery that must be hit up in the next week or so is, of course, the Vancouver Art Gallery (get a membership… seriously). There are three exhibitions ending this month that should be seen (by at least someone in your family, my Mum is into Georgia O’Keefe while I’m into *Roy Arden*… whatever does it for you). So ending this week at the VAG on Jan. 6 is *Mark Lewis*’s “Modern Time”. Then the following week on Jan. 13, the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition “Nature and Abstraction” ends. This is followed the week after on Jan. 20 by the ending of Roy Arden’s mid-career retrospective.

There it is, a small help, but hopefully useful. I know that I’m dedicating this month to art and art related events in the hope that I can reverse some of the damage to both my bank and karmic accounts. Just striving to eat more vegetables isn’t going to get me out of this year’s Christmas mess.