Oct. 19, 2011 - Issue #835: Colleen Brown

Art and espresso

Latitude 53 gets cosy in a pair of new exhibitions

Until Oct 29
FOMD Laboratory: Embodied Projections
Works by Margaret Dragu and Freya Bjorg Olafson
Potluck and conversation with the artists: Wed, Oct 26 (6:30 pm)

Until Oct 29
Open Crowd
Works by Andrea Williamson
Artist talk: Sat, Oct 29 (2 pm)

Never before have I walked into an art gallery and been so warmly welcomed by an artist, who promptly made me an espresso. This was my very first experience upon entering Latitude 53 to see the current exhibitions, and that desire to connect with visitors pervades its current shows.
The gallery's main space is currently housing two artists, Margaret Dragu and Freya Bjorg Olafson, who have set up a small café amidst their explorations of creating and performing identities or personae for FOMD Laboratory: Embodied Projections. Visitors can sit in the comfortable seating and pull out their smartphones or laptops to follow the website links written in chalk on the wall like café food specials. The artwork on the walls, computers and television screens are examples of the artists' fascinating independent practices.

Olafson's featured work dominates the screens, her videos forming provocative arguments about embodied experience in relation to technology. One video features the face of the artist, made up based on a YouTube makeup tutorial from a five year old, her body slowly broken into pieces through an online game. While this work shows the possibilities for dissociation from the body and creation of new identities using video sharing and online games, Olafson's greater body of work complicates the relationships between body, technology and identity further. In her efforts to document, investigate, and manipulate her body, Olafson reveals the multiple ways in which we can relate to our bodies and ourselves through technology. The artist demonstrates how technology creates new possibilities for embodied experiences as well as depersonalizing objectifying ones, sometimes all at the same time.
 

Dragu also considers the constitution of identity, but her featured work is evidence of her alternate personas and their performances. A series of decks made from flashcards, recipe cards and coloured paper are the remainders of performances by Verb Woman, a persona who enacts over a dozen verbs, who, for instance, will mend garments for you, or Lady Justice, who mourns over sites of injustice. In Dragu's case, the exploration of multiple identities allows for opportunities to heal and to mourn.

This work is interesting unto itself, but worth further investigation is the very first collaborative work between Dragu and Olafson that they are cooking up in their Latitude Laboratory until October 29. If you drop into the gallery in the coming days you can witness new art coming to life, and discuss the critical issues of technology, identity and embodiment that anchor these artists' respective and collaborative practices. The opportunity to learn about these artists, enjoy good conversation with them and see their work unfold is not to be missed.

Also, in Latitude's ProjEx Room, engage with Open Crowd, Andrea Williamson's images which layer diverse faces, creating a range of interactions and isolations in the cloud-like disembodied arrangements of heads. The artist has provided paper and faces to trace, allowing visitors to construct a new crowd and the possibility for its own complex interpersonal dynamics.
In the Community Gallery: Peruse the collaborative Edmonton Public Schools sketchbook project, the pages filled with images created by local classrooms, and national and international connections in "DRAWn Together." vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus