CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN ART CENTRE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN CANADIEN 420 WEST BROADWAY NEW YORK NY 10012 ALLOCATIONS PHOTOGRAPHERS SELECTED BY WILLIAM A. EWING. APRIL 14-MAY 12, 1984 Mr. Ewing is Director of Special Exhibitions at the International Center of Photography, New York Recently | was invited to act as guest-curator ofan exhibition of contemporary Canadian photography for the 49th Parallel. In View ofthe gallorys commitment to vanguard artist, itseemed appropriate to consider those photographers who were asking [MARVIN GASOI United, 1984, Cbachrome print uundamental questions about the nature of photography, ques tions very much in vogue in current ertieal thinking. T topical issues include: the relationship of photography to paint ing, drawing and sculpture: photographic truthfulness: myth land metaphor; information and ite dissemination and contra formal considerations such a size, scale, color and other strc tural devices appropriated from advertising such as ancillary typographical elaments; experimentation with materials, light and chemistry; even such taken forgranted aspects of presen tation a framing and matting Further, in view of the gallerys interesting layout—which makes for a number of smaller galleries of varying size and ambionce—I dacidad to formulate the exhibition in terms of 8 physical dimension; each artist would be asked to work with Specific space—hence the concept “allocations.” My thought here was that photographers for the most part have not been aiven the opportunites for “installations” enjoyed by othergroups of artists who employ photography (eg. the concep- ‘ualsts). This may be because the “fine print” has been over ‘emphasized as a unique inviolate object (@ required strategy at fone point in photography’ struggle for fine-art status), which has ha the efecto inhibiting the photographer from produc. ing work ora specific space. The selection, therefore narrowed down to photographers and other artists less constricted by convention, who might envision the exhibition asa proposition calling for active consideration of the physical space and as: pects of presentation Each artist was given the opportunity of creating anaw body ‘of work for the exhibition, but time considerations cid not ‘iwaye allow for this and twas therefore not made a condition. However all works of very recent vintage. MARVIN GASOI ‘Marvin Gasoi has embarked on his career as on artist in very recent years. Although he began as a street photographer, he finds himself more athome in the studio, where freerein can be Given to the imagination. na series begun in 1982, entitled Foaims of the Unconseious, produced as a proposal for future ‘atvity he get out to determine the range of expressive pos- ‘sblities of érawing on film with seitemade ight sources, choos- Jing the vibrancy and saturation ofCibachrome paper as an ideal printing medium. In this seri the artist himeeif appeared in Various guises—as an actor in @ psychological drama, as 2 Conjurer or even as master-of-ceremonies. The lessons learned in Realms of the Unconscious have been put to good use in his work for Allocations. Here he appropriates magazine ilusta- tions and photographic reproductions, transforming the basic structures ofthe images with his ight, As inthe earlier work, Gasoi enjoys presenting the familiar in unfamiliar ways, a¢ where household tools become tools of mass destruction. In ‘other images, the element of transformation Is employed to ‘exaggerate or disguise facets ofthe source material "Marvin Gasoi was born in Montreal in 1943, He studied at Sir George Wiliams University in Montreal, ater working at Optica Center for Contemporary Arts an administrator. This brought him inte close contact with artists of his own age, and provided the impetus for a change of career. In 1978 he moved to New York, committed to a career as an artist His frst project was a series on the streets ofthe city The particular nuances of light in New York and the vibrant, ot ‘garish colors of the man-mede environment greatly appe to him, but the kinds of activity he was photographing pre ventedhim from exercising thecontrolshe desired. Agrest deal was lft 19 chance. Fortunately he soon discovered these con: trols inthe studio. I 1982 Gasol was given his fst one-man show at Art 48 in Montreal. Subsequently he hes exhibited at Art City inthe East Vilage, at Collage Gallery in Monterey, Mexico, and several ‘venues in Poland, where he was a guestof an informal group of photographers. In 1984 his work willbe seen in another exhib tion at Ar ity, at Art 48 in Montreal, and at galleries in Belgium and lal. The anst was the recipient of a Canada Council Arts ‘Award in 1982, GEORGE LEGRADY George Legrady’ Stock Footage series is concerned with top- ical social iesues and the structural devices of commercial vi sual packaging employed by the corporete domain to make ‘hei positions palatable to the public Inthe series, which he began in 1982, Legrady assigns himself the role of a heavy LA, Leads, 1984, Tinted black-and-white photograph Posture (Big Pinel), 1986. Tinted black-and-white photograph (Courtesy of Delahunty Gallery, New York handed commercial artist commissioned to produce illustra tions fora number of hypothetical corporate concerns. An early Work in the series, Executive Decision was proposed, in the nists words, 25 “annual report documentation of a plan to ‘make the San Onofre nuclear site more attractive to environ: ‘ental and other public pressure groups.” Legradys solution ‘was ta plant bushes around the buildings, which he notes was inne with the real-life proposal which featured flowers and butterflies, InLegradi/s more recent adeitions to the series, such a5 LA. Leads and Winners, both produced in 1984, he proposes arch- etypal Imagery suitable for the Olympic Games’ promotional posters, The former workeelebratestwo aspacts ofLos Angeles lite most on people's minds—smog and trate; the later plays homage tothe commercial underpinnings ofthe Games. The scale of Legrady’s imagery and its mode of presentation is ‘meant to evoke the public viewing formats of industrial display panels and mini subway advertisements. ‘George Legrady was born in Sudapest, Hungary, n 1960. He tended Loyola College in Montreal, Goddard Collage in Ve ‘mont, and the San Franelsco Art institute, where he received = “Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1976. Heiscurrentiyonthefeculty ofthe California Institute ofthe Arts ‘One-man exhibitions include the La Jolla Museum of the Ans, Callforsia; CEPA Gallery, Buffalo: Sen Francisco Cam ork; Yajima Gallery Montreal; and PS. 1, New York. Group exhibitions include: the Delahunty Gallery, Dallas; the CentreDe balbo pa] Be Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Liinbaan Museum, Rotterdam the Delahunty Gallery, New York and Optica Galery, Montreal Lagrady has won 2 number of awards from the Canada Council ‘and the Ontario Arte Council In 1984 he received @ CEPA Award for 8 publication project, ARNAUD MAGGS In recent years Arnaud Maggs has received acclaim for a body ‘of mura-size composite works which both embrace and undor mine conventions of portraiture, Each work is composed of rumerous individval photographs of the sitters, each study Undertaken in 2 matter-of-fact manner which evokes both the ubiquitous passport photo and the clinical polce-identity pho- tograph. Seen together in grids, however, the structurally sim- lar indviduel components (.e., consistant framing of the sit ters, expressionless faces) take on another level of meaning the slightest deviation of one from the other animates the ‘whole, Seeing is believing, butte formst allows forthe preser- tation of contradictory evidence; the viewer is thus torn be ‘ween an urge to trust and an urge to disbelieve. Maggs’ unsentimental approach has upset some viewers who unertcally accept the mystique of conventional studio Dortraiture—notebly that the carefully contrived single Image, lth ite exaggerated emotional content, truthfully unlocks the soul” ofthesitter Magg' choice of Yousuf Karsh as @subjectis therefore not without irony ‘Arnaud Maggs was born in Montreal in 1826. After serving with the Royal Cenadian Airforce in the Seconé World War he ‘started his own design studio in Montreal. In 1982 he moved to New York where he worked as 8 freelance designer and il lustrator returning to Toronto after two years. Inthe late fies ‘and early sixties he studied drawing and design in italy and New Mexico. He began taking photographs in 1966, and in 1870 opened his own photography studio in Toronto His one man exhibitions Include: Optica Gallery, Montroal; the Jane Corkin Gallery, Toronto; the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax: and the David Mirvish Galery, Toronto. His work has been included in group exhibitions atthe Hr bourtront Community Gallery, Toronto; the Jane Corkin Gallery, Toronto; the Canadian Centre for Photography and Film, Toronto; the Art Gallery of Winnipeg; the Edmonton Art Gal lary; and other, The artist has received several grants from the ‘Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council Pa Bo Py Bo Pa Bo Py Bo ps Bo Pe Bo > Bo Py Boa Bo Pm Bo Po Bo Py Bo Po Bs Py Bo Po Bo Py Bo Py Bo Py Be Dr Bo Py Beda Bo by Yousuf Karch, 1981, Siver print (installation view) PHILIP POCOCK Philip Pocock has recently tured to the medium of Gibachrome, on which he paints with chemicals in a loose, lexpressionistic manner In his work or Allocations he set otto fefine this epproach, Determined to fully exploit the properties fof the medium he set himself the task of utlzing @ complete industrial roll ofthe paper. Pocock’ technique of applying the chemicals with a brush requires @ Keen familiarity with the ‘materials a¢ the chemicals are colorless when applied, the colors appearing during development. Pocock was born in Ottawa in 1954, In 1975 he lived in ‘Marseilles on a scholarship as a student of computer engineer ing, The fllowing year he moved to New Yorkwherehe gradu- ated with a BFA. in 1973, His work was fist published in The Obvious Mlusion, which was introduced by Gregory Battcack, Pocock has exhibited in solo shows at Piezo Electric, New York: the Kunsthalle, Geneva; ond the London Regionel Art Gallery ‘Ontario. Group exhibitions include: the Gloria Luria Gallery, Miami; the New Math Gallery, New York: Pezo Electric; PS. 1 New York: and Oggi Domari, New York Love Canal, 1984. Cibachrome print MICHAEL SNOW ‘Michael Snow is widely known as an artist of exceptional breadth, Athough he began as a painter achieving widespreed recognition for his extensive Walking Woman seriesin the nine- teen-sates, his focus on film and photography from 1967 on- ‘ward catapulted him to international prominence. Hewover, ‘Show never abandoned his interest in painting. In fact, his work ‘with film and photography suggested new areas of painterly investigation, Confounding erties who might wish to comper rmentalize his achievements tothe detriment of his crue, he notes: “My paintings are done by a filmmaker, sculpture by 3 ‘musician, fms by a painter, muse by @ filmmaker paintings by 8 sculptor... sometimes they all work together Like other artists in the exhibition, Snow i indifferent to the canons and conventions of “fine-art photography which seem Increasingly anachronistic. Far more sustzining for his free- wheeling investigations are contemporary ert and art from the pest, “found” imagery of banal subject matter, and his own