Art Fag Feb 1, 2007

By Asher Penn

Thursday February 1, 2007

Don’t believe the hype about Fred Herzog’s retrospective at the VAG: it doesn’t have to be seen as a regressively sentimental testament to the good ol’ days in the city of Vancouver. Slap on a few heavy essays about neo-romantic objectivity in photography and Herzog will be the Stephen Shore of the Pacific Northwest, capable of standing alongside the international art stars that will be featured in “Acting the Part: Photography as Theatre.”
The show arrives from Toronto as another opportunity to showcase the well-thought-out institution of Jeff Wall alongside heavy hitters Cindy Sherman and Man Ray to prove how artful art photography can be. If you’re all photo-ed out, swing by Catriona Jeffries to see Damien Moppet’s latest oily paintings and sculptures, and the CAG for the group show, Gasoline Rainbows, a showcase of new approaches to abstraction.