Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013...6:42 pm

A Modern Art Woman: Finding My Niche at the AGO

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Last Wednesday my trip with GradEscapes was a far more positive affair than the last time I visited the AGO. I think I found exactly what I needed when I ventured downstairs to check out the exhibit, Life of a Craphead Restrospective courtesy of Toronto artist-duo Amy Lam and Jon McCurley.

Described as a “consistent and cogent analysis of value in art” in the exhibit pamphlet, I struggled to find words more accurate than this explanation.

I’ll be honest, the “art world” sometimes seems all too pretentious (at least to me). The genius of the Life of Craphead Retrospective is that it seems to call-out this pretentiousness, turn it inside-out, while quite loudly forcing one to confront its absurdity. That this is featured in the space of the Art Gallery of Ontario creates its own comedic irony not found had this work been featured in a space less revered in the Canadian art landscape.

The architecture of the AGO alone is worth a visit.

 

I should mention that I don’t really have any idea what I’m talking about. I have never studied art (fine or otherwise) and perhaps it is just lost on me. Either way, this exhibit was comical (Lam and McCurley are also comedians) in a way that I hadn’t experienced art before. I found myself laughing and smiling to myself, thinking, “Yes!! I GET IT!”, somewhat pleased with my induction to understanding art in (perhaps?) the same way others do while walking through the more traditional exhibits of the AGO.

This work by Do-Ho Suh was one of my contemporary favourites.

 

I also really enjoyed the contemporary art exhibit upstairs – I guess I’m just a modern art woman. The good news is that if you’re willing to go after 6pm on Wednesday evenings, you can check it all out for free.

Looking for more high culture on a low budget? The Gardiner Museum is free ALL MONTH, and the ROM features free post-secondary student admission all-day Tuesdays. 



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