By Robin Laurence
CATTLE CALL
Borealis Gallery, Edmonton. To Jan 12, 2020
How now, Alberta cow? This exhibition, drawn from the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, focuses on images of cows – the humble creatures that have played and continue to play such a large role in the province’s agricultural economy. With some 20 works by historical and contemporary Alberta artists, Cattle Call honours the bovines that have fed humanity through 10,000 years of domestication, insinuating themselves into religion, art and culture worldwide.
MARY KAVANAGH: DAUGHTERS OF URANIUM
Founders’ Gallery, The Military Museum, Calgary. To Jan 26, 2020
From photographs of atomic blast sites to a green and glowing sculpture of human legs created from uranium oxide suspended in glass, Mary Kavanagh’s exhibition confronts us with the cruel, cancerous and often invisible legacy of the nuclear bomb. The scientific term “daughters of uranium” refers to the radioactive decay chain of naturally occurring uranium. Here, it is used to remind us of the ways nuclear radiation endures through the generations – and to critique militarism’s destructive impact on the human body.
IRA HOFFECKER
Front Gallery, Edmonton. Nov 7 – 26
Based in Victoria since 2004, German-Canadian artist Ira Hoffecker has in the past used her highly layered abstract paintings to explore the ways in which cities transform over time. Her new body of work, including paintings, drawings and a video titled History as Personal Memory, probes the painful subject of childhood trauma, repressed memories and the denial of repugnant histories. Through her video, particularly, Hoffecker uses her body as “a tool of investigation,” ultimately leading to healing.
THING TO WEAR
Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary. Nov 20 – Dec 14
Curated by textile artist Jolie Bird, this group show features kimono-inspired garments by students, faculty, sta and alumni from Alberta University of the Arts, guided and inspired by Bill Morton. A fibre arts specialist who trained in Japan, Morton has mastered and taught a number of processes and techniques related to kimono construction. His works and those of others represented here incorporate both traditional and innovative weaving, dyeing and printing methods and materials.
LAURIE KANG: EIDETIC TIDES
Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge. Dec 7, 2019 – Feb 16, 2020
Toronto artist Laurie Kang works across media, including photography, sculpture, and video. Her SAAG installation deconstructs and reconstitutes photographic materials and processes and probes the “eidetic” nature of afterimages. She suspends distressed photographic paper on flexible metal frames, which can be reconfigured within the gallery space. Kang also employs other unexpected objects and materials, stating, “My work exists in literal and metaphoric states of becoming and unfixity.”