Andrew Harwood - The Ten Best Tops in 2009
1) Guy Maddin's The Little White Cloud That Cried, a short film that is tranny-tastic in the vein of Jean Genet and Jack Smith with a bit Russ Myers thrown in, read great fake breasts. This film will premier at the Berlin Film Festival in January. Its such an amazing short piece that is just pornographic enough for German audiences to be pleased. Its saturated colours, fab sound track and enough cock and boobs to make even the most sated porn addict happy. Lexi Tronic is sure to become the new "Most Dangerous Woman in European Cinema." Ace Art Inc., Winnipeg.
2) R.M Vaughan's Sears Portrait Studio Shots in Taddle Creek magazine. The Christmas Number 2009. This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen published in a magazine. Vaughan poses as a little boy in an actual photo shoot by a Sears photographer. I love this work mostly due to the critique on the emphasis in gay men's culture on youth, but this work also speaks about the Daddy/Son play not often talked about in polite press (not gay porn.) Vaughan is thirty-ish so the play is truly on age here and he has already been accused of being a pedophile!! The popish backgrounds of the pics are totes funny and also talk about the construction of the identity of youth and young-ness, through photography.
3) Kim Kitchen's amazing installation Movement of Water in Barrie at the MacLaren Art Centre - reminded me of how lucky we are in Canada to have fresh water available to us. Photographs and projections from her travels in Africa are placed in buckets of water locally collected. This show was very both aethetically pleasing and political all at once, kudos to curator Sandra Fraser
4) Being invited to participate in this year's Power Ball as Mdme. Zsa Zsa was fabulous - somehow there were no social gaffe's at all - except for the ones I created - like spraying people I didn't like with tonnes of Trés Semme hair spray!! & drinking glitter mixed with their themed punch - oh and smoking inside. Oh and keeping the money I made because I was so poor - I got $190 and Amy Lam got $750 go figure??? Equality rocks, Godess, you just put a dress on and you get paid less! Thanks tho for reals tho to Helena Reckitt and Paul Zingrone for this fabby invite. This art party was actually fun!
5) Not being in or near nor participating in Nuit Blanche in any way shape or form - fuckin' phew. OMG dodged that art-astrophe by 1,000 miles!
6) David Garneau's heroic portrait of Luis Riel, is one of the best paintings by far I have seen this year. It is an historical painting akin to a portrait of Napoleon on his horse. His exhibition at Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art this November was chock full of other excellent work especially his small beaded painting called Metis? .
7) Jubal Brown's intense video's at MOCCA for the Videodrome program for the Images Fest this past spring were bloody and punk and amazing and alive and reminded me of why the fuck I became an artist in the first place.
8) Ken Gregory's wind coil sound flow at the University of Winnipeg in October. Gregory is not only a hot stud but, an amazing audio artist. His installation was like a gigantic sounding board. The whole gallery vibrated subtly and the accompanying sculpture was like a kite/gramaphone speaker/sitar sounding board. OK Video Pool was a sponsor so what - it was a great piece. Like there is no nepotism in Toronto? - f-youse!
9) Kevin Kelly's fantastical video installation 3 Minutes in Beijing at Golden City Fine Art, Winnipeg takes its inspiration in part, from the famed "bird's nest" stadium from the Beijing Olympics and turns it on it inside out and around and all over the place. Kelly takes architectural forms and animates them into spaceship like structures that plant themselves all over Beijing. The animated "buildings" are like sexual bullets, cocks, cunts that seem to reproduce spontaneously and independently. Cool!
10) Laura Kikauka's For the Love of Gaud (Damien's Worst) at MKG, Toronto, I am sorry I only was able to see this show through the window - but I loved it so much! The mirrored and sparkly skulls on the turntables were beautiful and hypnotic and yes, hit the nail on the head - literally - critical!! Ohh the horror vacui of it all!! I love you Laura and your work and I have never even met you!!
return to: sally mckay and lorna mills
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