The Shifting Space of the Gallery

The works presented during the Mielcombe exhibition focused on an assortment of images bashing banality, hypocrisy and the prostitution of ‘selling art’, or at least that is what I would like to think. Unfortunately, the manner the art was presented did not seem to interact with a thematic cause, especially considering there were no artist statements provided. This makes it difficult to give a fair criticism of the event; however Peridot is a restaurant and not a gallery. The majority of people interacting here are drawn to a bistro environment, which entitles them to a dinning experience. Perhaps then this urban backdrop is what framed the event Mielcombe: Fusion of Art, Fashion and Music. So, I’m lead to think then that when art becomes associated with fashion, music, and the social experience of dinning it then transforms into another form altogether: Popular Art.

Is art revisiting the Warhol era? Have we successfully combined the fine arts in an attempt to popularize it through our choice of venue? What does it mean to display art along side a bikini shoot? Do people think much of the art which accompanies their dinner?

My argument in this matter is that the artist world is changing. No longer is it necessary to make your way down to Queen West in order to experience spectacles of visual artism. Instead art is spreading itself into more public spaces. From prestigious elitism (museum), to institution (AGO), to what I consider a ‘ready wall’: wherever there is wall space, and an attractive social function, there is a gallery. This transformation of the gallery space includes with it different implications. With this change, the liability of the cause of art begins to erupt or maybe better put, to erode.

When art becomes an accommodation to a meal, or a back drop to an event one has to take responsibility in becoming aware that an artist’s message has just taken its first steps in hindering. However, at the same time it is being popularized, publicized and noticed, and then hopefully someone might take the time to ask: “what is this about?”.

Regardless, the effort is a positive one; to beautify an area, to accelerate the career of an emerging artist, and to expose cultural significance amongst a public that may not have noticed it before.

Contributing Writer: Hanna Kunysz