But
      ts
      it
      art?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      modern
      exhibit
      opens
      at
      Confederation
      Centre
      Gallery
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      hen
      is
      a
      tree
      not
      a
      tree?
     
    

    
     
      When
      its
      stripped,
      dipped
      in
     
    

    
     
      beeswax
      and
      suspended
      upside
      down
     
     
      rom
      the
      ceiling.
      Then
      it’s
      art.
     
     
      f
      the
      preceding
      riddle
      intrigues
      you
      then
      you
     
     
      ay
      want
      to
      check
      out
      the
      new
      Gallery
      of
     
     
      ontemporary
      Art
      at
      the
      Confederation
      Centre
     
     
      Gallery
      &
      Museum.
      Thenew
      exhibit,
      housed
     
     
      n
      the
      newly
      renovated
      west
      galleries,
      is
      a
     
     
      road,
      eclectic
      mixture
      of
      artworks
      in
      a
      variety
     
     
      f
      styles
      and
      mediums.
     
    

    
     
      The
      centrepiece
      of
      the
      new
      exhibit
      is
      the
     
     
      forementioned
      tree,
      an
      ‘‘installation”’
      art
      piece
     
     
      y
      artist
      Richard
      Reitzenstein.
      The
      piece
      is
     
     
      eant
      to
      link
      art
      and
      nature,
      reminding
      people
     
     
      at
      the
      Earth
      is
      the
      ultimate
      source
      of
      our
     
     
      ulture,
      art
      in
      itself
      and
      deserving
      of
      considera-
     
     
      ion
      and
      protection.
      It’s
      an
      environmental
      state-
     
     
      ent
      and
      an
      expression
      of
      the
      beginnings
      of
      art,
     
     
      ymbolic
      of
      the
      sacred
      Edenic
      grove
      and
      the
     
     
      ythical
      origin
      of
      human
      knowledge
      and
      aware-
     
     
      ess.
      The
      beeswax
      that
      coats
      the
      upside-down
     
     
      ee
      is
      symbolic
      of
      the
      collectivity
      of
      nature
      and
     
     
      umankind
      (in
      recollection
      of
      the
      collective
     
     
      ature
      of
      bees
      in
      their
      hives).
      The
      huge
      upside-
     
     
      own
      tree
      is
      very
      striking
      in
      itself,
      but
      is
      not
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      only
      element
      in
      this
      installation
      piece.
      Below
      it
     
     
      are
      rows
      of
      wood
      slices
      and
      a
      pile
      of
      wood
      and
     
     
      containers
      of
      spruce
      and
      cedar
      oils,
      all
      symbolic
     
     
      ofman’s
      exploitation
      of
      nature.
      The
      piece
      speaks
     
     
      to
      viewers
      on
      a
      number
      of
      levels.
     
    

    
     
      The
      new
      gallery
      also
      houses
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      more
      conventional
      forms
      of
      art,
      though
      all
      are
     
     
      unique
      in
      their
      own
      ways.
      Reitzenstein’s
      other
     
     
      contributions
      include
      drawings
      of
      skeletal
      mus-
     
     
      cles
      in
      earth
      powders,
      chalk
      on
      paper.
      A
      more
     
     
      powerful
      and
      immediate
      study
      of
      human
      physi-
     
     
      ology
      can
      be
      found
      in
      the
      huge
      untitled
      pastel
     
     
      drawing
      of
      a
      hand
      by
      Allan
      Harding
      MacKay,
     
     
      an
      arresting
      work
      with
      an
      enigmatically
      monu-
     
     
      mental
      quality.
      Equally
      enigmatic
      is
      Robert
     
     
      McNealy’s
      pastel
      diptych
      drawing
      of
      an
      ab-
     
     
      stract
      human
      figure
      within
      geometric
      lines
      and
     
     
      planes,
      a
      basic
      but
      thought-provoking
      study
      in
     
     
      form.
     
    

    
     
      More
      accessible
      to
      most
      viewers
      is
      the
     
     
      ‘*Small
      Wharf
      Over
      the
      Pond’’,
      an
      impression-
     
     
      istic
      landscape
      in
      pastel,
      acrylic,
      and
      gouache
     
     
      paper.
      The
      rich,
      deep
      blues
      and
      purples
      of
      the
     
     
      jewel-like
      rippling
      water
      and
      the
      darkened
      sky
     
     
      make
      it
      a
      simultaneously
      tranquil
      and
      intrigu-
     
     
      ing
      piece.
     
    

    
     
      The
      exhibits
      also
      include
      less
      representa-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tional
      pieces,
      like
      Harold
      Klunder’s
      painting
     
     
      ‘‘Hymn
      to
      Matter’’;
      a
      swirling
      whirlpool
      of
     
     
      color
      and
      form
      that
      has
      an
      almost
      religious
     
     
      intensity
      in
      its
      celebration
      of
      color
      and
      move-
     
     
      ment.
      Starker
      and
      less
      easily
      interperable
      pieces
     
     
      include
      Ron
      Shuebrosk’s
      “‘Plea’’
      (
      a
      painting
     
     
      dominated
      by
      solid
      reds
      and
      blacks),
      and
      Roland
     
     
      Paulin’s
      ‘‘Dans
      D’Etendu’’
      (a
      charcoal
      draw-
     
     
      ing
      of
      black
      forms
      on
      white).
      Some
      of
      the
     
     
      strangest
      and
      most
      colorful
      works
      are
      those
      of
     
     
      Ron
      Martin,
      whose
      ‘‘It’s
      Emotional’’
      is
      a
      thick,
     
     
      paint-encrusted,
      multi-colored
      mass
      of
      acrylic
     
     
      on
      canvas.
      A
      bit
      more
      refined
      is
      Martin’s
      eso-
     
     
      terically
      titled
      “‘For
      the
      Composite
      Power
      #8”’,
     
     
      a
      wavelike
      mixture
      of
      sand
      and
      acrylic
      on
     
     
      canvas
      creating
      a
      grainy,
      rippled
      surface
      that
     
     
      look
      likes
      black
      beach
      sand.
      Martin’s
      works
     
     
      rely
      more
      on
      color
      and
      texture
      in
      themselves
      for
     
     
      emotional
      effect
      rather
      than
      representing
      any
     
     
      particular
      subject.
     
    

    
     
      The
      new
      gallery
      houses
      a
      wide
      variety
      of
     
     
      works
      ina
      multitude
      ofstyles,
      and
      ifapproached
     
     
      with
      an
      open
      mind
      it
      can
      be
      a
      great
      source
      of
     
     
      enjoyment.
      Admission
      is
      fairly
      cheap,
      and
      free
     
     
      on
      Sundays,
      so
      it’s
      a
      bit
      ofhigh
      culture
      that
      even
     
     
      students
      can
      enjoy.
      @
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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