Under Skirt: A peek at the institution of art
October 1, 2010 to January 9, 2011
Curated by Jen Budney
Featuring The Cedar Tavern Singers, Nicole Cherubini, Dagmara Genda, Garry Neill Kennedy, and Heather Nicol.
Sassy, playful, and celebratory, this group exhibition examines the ways we look at, collect, and frame art in public art galleries and museums. The title, Under Skirt, refers to the act of viewing what is normally meant to be hidden, and emphasizes the feminine character of much of the work in the show, with its decorative qualities and attention to surface aesthetics.
To varying degrees, the practices of all the artists in Under Skirt have been informed by Institutional Critique, an artistic genre that emerged in the 1960s, which reflects critically on the social function of art and its place within galleries and museums. Yet while this genre is typically represented by projects that critique the gallery as a highly controlled and lifeless “white cube” and emphasize the complicity between museums and the market, the objects and images in Under Skirt posit the public art gallery as a place to be used and enjoyed, not dismantled or discarded.
Works by Dagmara Genda (Saskatoon), The Cedar Tavern Singers AKA Les Phonoréalistes (Lethbridge), and Garry Neill Kennedy (Halifax) were specially commissioned for this exhibition, and take as their subject matter the history and collections of the Mendel Art Gallery and the City of Saskatoon. The sculptures of Heather Nicol (Toronto) invite viewers to reconsider the ways in which they normally engage with artworks, while those of Nicole Cherubini (New York City) reflect upon the enduring separation and differing valuation of fine art and craft.
Under Skirt: A peek at the institution of art celebrates the workings of the art institution, the power of art to engage and challenge, and the limitless possibilities to rethink and rework art history.
– Jen Budney, Associate Curator
