Just a regular day...
Howdy!
Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day. I needed to do some chores, and figured that while I was downtown it would be a good idea to see some Art. Hey, you know me, I never stop thinking!
I started at 460 Sainte Catherine, and there are a bunch of galleries there, notably: SKOL, La Centrale/Powerhouse, Gora, Dare-Dare, Han and Occurrence. Now one thing to think about if you're going specifically to go see art, it is a good idea, a very good idea to make sure that the gallery, or galleries are open and exhibiting stuff. As I was doing chores, wouldn't you know it, but SKOL, La Centrale, and Dare-Dare all were closed.
But ever the thinker that I am, instead of complaining about lemons, I made lemonade! I had conveniently brought invitations to Janice Tayler's exhibit here, and figured that while there might not be art on the walls for me to see, there quite likely would be people inside the galleries who would be inclined to come look at art, hey! What a concept! That's why they pay me the big bucks.
But sometimes things ain't what they seem. The folk at Dare-Dare were downright dismissive of me. Nothing like a nice open, warm and friendly atmosphere to foster an environment of understanding where people are interested in experiencing new things, eh?
Thankfully, the people at all the other galleries weren't so rude. The people at SKOL were nice, the staff at Videographe (not exactly wall, art, but art none the less) were downright inviting, but the most fun was at Han Art (the only commercial gallery of the bunch) where I was given the third degree. It was almost like giving a class in how I run a gallery. Maybe, just maybe, Mrs. Scott (I have never been able to surmise her first name) would consider coming to Zeke's and seeing how things are here, instead of just trying to get some answers without offering anything in return, she made it just about impossible for me to check out the art on her walls (which if my notes are correct, was by a guy named Jean-Pierre Lafrance). As I was distracted, I can't really comment on his art, other than to say that it was sorta big, and most definitely abstract.
I then made it over to Occurrence, where they had some photographs by Normand Rajotte. Big Photographs, with bigger borders of some nature landscapes and mud. Remember this, it will figure in more as you scroll down.
I then crossed the street to the Belgo building where at last count there was something like a gazillion and a half galleries. In 10 words or less for those that I saw:
Rene Blouin: A good joke, but would've been better two letters later.
Roger Bellmare: I liked getting to see Maclean's art on the walls.
M du B. F. H. & g: It looked really kick-ass, and I chatted with Chuck.
Circa: Mmmm, Tako! Along with little pearls, wow!
At which point, I suddenly realized I wasn't able to concentrate anymore, so I made a mad dash down the stairs, figuring I might have enough stamina to check out what was on Pierre-Francois Ouellette's walls. He had Louis Joncas' photographs on the walls, and from what I could tell, he and Normand Rajotte must've been identical twins that were separated at birth. Louis Joncas (or maybe M. Ouellette) prefers big black wood frames, while Lili Michaud (or more likely M. Rajotte himself) prefer unframed with big white borders on the paper. But it was pretty much like one of them parted their hair on the left, and the other on the right.
After which I realized it really really was time to go, I almost broke about seventeen things (ok, only the coffee table and the doors) but thankfully only came out of there seeing cross-eyed. I was able to successfully navigate myself back to the gallery, where I promptly took a nap.
Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day. I needed to do some chores, and figured that while I was downtown it would be a good idea to see some Art. Hey, you know me, I never stop thinking!
I started at 460 Sainte Catherine, and there are a bunch of galleries there, notably: SKOL, La Centrale/Powerhouse, Gora, Dare-Dare, Han and Occurrence. Now one thing to think about if you're going specifically to go see art, it is a good idea, a very good idea to make sure that the gallery, or galleries are open and exhibiting stuff. As I was doing chores, wouldn't you know it, but SKOL, La Centrale, and Dare-Dare all were closed.
But ever the thinker that I am, instead of complaining about lemons, I made lemonade! I had conveniently brought invitations to Janice Tayler's exhibit here, and figured that while there might not be art on the walls for me to see, there quite likely would be people inside the galleries who would be inclined to come look at art, hey! What a concept! That's why they pay me the big bucks.
But sometimes things ain't what they seem. The folk at Dare-Dare were downright dismissive of me. Nothing like a nice open, warm and friendly atmosphere to foster an environment of understanding where people are interested in experiencing new things, eh?
Thankfully, the people at all the other galleries weren't so rude. The people at SKOL were nice, the staff at Videographe (not exactly wall, art, but art none the less) were downright inviting, but the most fun was at Han Art (the only commercial gallery of the bunch) where I was given the third degree. It was almost like giving a class in how I run a gallery. Maybe, just maybe, Mrs. Scott (I have never been able to surmise her first name) would consider coming to Zeke's and seeing how things are here, instead of just trying to get some answers without offering anything in return, she made it just about impossible for me to check out the art on her walls (which if my notes are correct, was by a guy named Jean-Pierre Lafrance). As I was distracted, I can't really comment on his art, other than to say that it was sorta big, and most definitely abstract.
I then made it over to Occurrence, where they had some photographs by Normand Rajotte. Big Photographs, with bigger borders of some nature landscapes and mud. Remember this, it will figure in more as you scroll down.
I then crossed the street to the Belgo building where at last count there was something like a gazillion and a half galleries. In 10 words or less for those that I saw:
Rene Blouin: A good joke, but would've been better two letters later.
Roger Bellmare: I liked getting to see Maclean's art on the walls.
M du B. F. H. & g: It looked really kick-ass, and I chatted with Chuck.
Circa: Mmmm, Tako! Along with little pearls, wow!
At which point, I suddenly realized I wasn't able to concentrate anymore, so I made a mad dash down the stairs, figuring I might have enough stamina to check out what was on Pierre-Francois Ouellette's walls. He had Louis Joncas' photographs on the walls, and from what I could tell, he and Normand Rajotte must've been identical twins that were separated at birth. Louis Joncas (or maybe M. Ouellette) prefers big black wood frames, while Lili Michaud (or more likely M. Rajotte himself) prefer unframed with big white borders on the paper. But it was pretty much like one of them parted their hair on the left, and the other on the right.
After which I realized it really really was time to go, I almost broke about seventeen things (ok, only the coffee table and the doors) but thankfully only came out of there seeing cross-eyed. I was able to successfully navigate myself back to the gallery, where I promptly took a nap.
posted by Zeke's, the Montreal Art Gallery on 27.3.04
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