Loose Threads

Two of my posts from this past month are now in need of a resolution as April draws to a close, neither of which warrants its own post, so consider this a two-for-one deal.

Firstly, some of you may have noticed that my first blog for Akimblog has now gone online. The post’s coverage of the exhibitions at AGH and 270 Sherman speaks for itself in the usual fashion, and I won’t bother repeating my opinions on the art itself here. What I think does warrant address is a range of responses to what may be viewed as a companion post to the Akimblog piece, more specifically my statement there that the post’s content represents ‘the sort of response that would never make it into Akimblog.’ That position has yielded a bit of questioning from the Simple Posie blog right down to my own mother: just why wouldn’t my rant about the AGH experience ever make it into Akimblog?

For my part, I thought I had made my reasons and motivations fairly clear, insofar as my interests in creating diverse content across both platforms are concerned. I suppose the only point I wish to clarify - or rather, eliminate - is any presumption that, by not including my thoughts on the AGH as an institution in my Akimblog coverage, I was somehow glossing over a key critical point and giving a rather hasty spit-polish to that particular bad apple.

To be fair, none of the questions I’ve fielded on these two blog entries has touched on that particular risk, so I’ll try not to belabour the point. Perhaps to simply answer Simple Posie, I would argue that Akimblog, as I know it through my own reading, exists as an extension of an art news aggregate that offers subjective insights into the various exhibitions happening across Canada (and occasionally, elsewhere in the world). First and foremost, I consider an exhibition to be the public presentation of an artist’s work, not of the gallery itself; therefore, when writing for Akimblog I intend to discuss the artists and their work, not the external conditions of the institution presenting that work. Naturally, some overlap between artist and institution does occur - some good, some dreadful - but unless it’s relevant to the reception of, again, the artist’s work, I don’t reckon it’s the sort of detail needed in Akimblog. Might make for nice texture and storytelling, but the 800 word limit doesn’t leave much room for excess play when you’ve got three or more shows to discuss.

To put it bluntly, I think my ranting about overzealous security guards at the AGH in my discussion of Ken Gregory’s show would have been about equal to saying that the floor was especially muddy that day. Neither of those things are Ken Gregory’s fault, so if I’ve got shit all over my boots I’ll talk about it here instead. That just seems fair to all concerned.

Stephanie Vegh, Love is a Battlefield, 2008. Four ink drawings on paper, 120 x 80 cm.

In other news, the drawings that I discussed here some three weeks ago now are finally done. You’ll note that the half-joking title from that blog entry has decided it’s here to stay (damn you, Pat Benatar).

Stephanie Vegh, Love is a Battlefield (over the heart), 2008. Ink on paper, 57 x 38 cm.

Stephanie Vegh, Love is a Battlefield (a child in your hands), 2008. Ink on paper, 57 x 38 cm.

As usual, I found that the actual process of working these drawings through to their natural conclusion both confirmed my hopes for the material outcomes - such as the transition in ink layers from pink to an arterial purple-brown - and produced a few surprises besides. Perhaps I’ve been reading too closely into a friend and colleague’s MFA thesis on military fashion signifiers, but I did find that the accumulated shapes of ink blots started to take on a quality like camouflage when viewed in detail.

AsYouPlease(detail).jpg

This project has now been uploaded into the the Visual Portfolio section of this site in its entirety, including views of all four individual drawings and details, so feel free to drop in for a closer look.

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