ROYAL ART LODGE - WHERE IS HERE?
June 30 to September 2. Public opening 7:30pm, Thursday July 5.
In the mid 1990s six young artists joined together
to form the collective, the Royal Art Lodge. Founding members included
Michael Dumontier, Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber, Drue Langlois, Jonathan
Pylypchuk and Adrian Williams. Later on, as some members left, Hollie
Dzama and Myles Langlois joined the group. The Royal Art Lodge
convened every Wednesday evening to create collaborative pieces such as
collages, drawings, dolls, music, sculptures, and paintings.
With the exception of Hollie Dzama and Myles
Langlois, all the members were students in the Fine Arts program at the
University of Manitoba. However, once finished with their undergraduate
studies, members of the collective began to move away from Winnipeg to
pursue their own academic and artistic careers. By 2003 only Michael
Dumontier, Marcel Dzama, and Neil Farber remained. The fate of the
Royal Art Lodge seemed tenuous as Dzama relocated to New York and both
Dumontier's and Farber's individual artistic careers began to receive
significant critical attention. Determined to keep the collective
alive, however, the trio maintained their Wednesday practice, honing
the focus of production to small-scale painting. This exhibitionfocuses
on their recent collaborative work and explores the notions of place
and narrative in this current formation of the Royal Art Lodge.
Right on time he arrived (2005) and That was the best thing my brother and I had ever seen…
(2005) are two works that exemplify the Royal Art Lodge's current
collaborative efforts. Begun as 6" x 6" square masonite panels, the
background is painted by one member, then passed along. Other painted
or collage elements are added by another Art Lodger. The work dries, is
considered, and left untouched for awhile. This process continues until
there is a consensus that the piece is "done." The titles of these two
paintings are derived from the witty statements that accompany each
work. They read: "Right on time he arrived. The dog was a nice touch." and "That was the best thing my brother and I had ever seen in the sky, and we were always looking up. Especially after that."
These statements are usually the result of a brainstorming session
between Dumontier and Farber. Once a work is completed it will
sometimes receive a date stamp as a finishing touch. The date stamp
acts as a record of time but also as a signature of all three artists
with the trio marking of day, month, and year.
Given the demand for the Royal Art Lodge, work moves
quickly out of the studio on Bannatyne Avenue to galleriesthroughout
North America and Europe. Therefore it is quite exciting to be
presenting a new series that has never been exhibited before. The show
also includes works generously lent by private collectors from across
North America and Europe, many pieces of which have never been seen by
Winnipeg audiences.
The title of the exhibition poses the question of is
"here" Winnipeg? It also opens up the question further in terms of
where these artists are in their respective careers, creative
practices, and collaborative efforts. Dumontier, Dzama, and Farber have
become remarkable Winnipeg success stories. Yet at the same time their
rise in the art world can be linked to myth-making surrounding the city
of Winnipeg, furthering stereotypical notions of Canada as the frigid
North where everybody spends endless hours indoors with nothing better
to do but to make art. I admit I find this a wonderfully, charming
concept and curiously wonder if it really matters where "here" is in
terms of producing artwork? I think it does.
Mary Reid, Curator, Contemporary Art and Photography
This exhibition is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. Media sponsor: Winnipeg Free Press.
Images from the top:
Royal Art Lodge, Right on time he arrived, 2005, Collage on masonite. Private collection.
Royal Art Lodge, That was the best thing my brother and I had ever seen…, 2005. Collage on masonite. Private collection. |
