OCTOBER 13 TO NOVEMBER 12 2017
This new series of interactive sculptures and photographs is derived from a recent project entitled Infinity Pool, installed in Gatineau, QC, this past summer. Five digital prints highlight detailed moments from this ephemeral installation that portrays a series of miniature swimming pools rendered useless by simulated bird droppings. Three sculptures accompany these photographs as reinterpretations of this concept. Built from recycled recreational objects, these interactive fountains feature some of the 150 cast resign Starlings used in the Infinity Pool project.
Read more » This new opus is part of a larger reflection on the presence of marginalized individuals in our cities and their contact with the human-made world. The artist’s other works on this theme include Starling Cage, presented at Galerie 3 in November 2015, and A Suitable Den (2017), a multimedia work starring a raccoon wandering an office building, which is on display in the BMO Project Room in Toronto until November 30, 2017. As always with Graeme Patterson, these works carry striking metaphorical power. While Secret Citadel spotlighted a developing friendship between an anthropomorphic bison and cougar, A Suitable Den showcases a displaced racoon and Starling Cage a species of bird which was introduced to North America at the end of the 19th century. The starling, which has since become one of the most abundant and invasive species, is back in this last piece cleverly entitled Piscine infinie/Infinity Pool. The smaller room at Galerie 3 is housing a sizeable surprise: the mechanical piano and nostalgic waltz that closed the artist’s last creative cycle, doing so with the particular gentleness and power to which he alone knows the secret. Player Piano Waltz is a mixed media sculptural installation that exists as the final chapter in a narrative based body of work titled Secret Citadel that explores male friendship. A miniature 1920’s inspired bar/apartment sits on top of an automated player piano from the same era. In the back of the bar and apartments the viewer can peer in to most of the windows to see the miniature rooms that are displayed in the videos and animations which also compose Secret Citadel. Player Piano Waltz refers to the song that was written, performed, recorded and transferred by the artist to a player piano roll that automatically plays once and rewinds when a coin is placed in a box beside the piano. The song is intended to cast sadness the situation that the anthropomorphic Bison and Cougar are engaged in throughout the piece. Within the story of Secret Citadel, Player Piano Waltz represents adulthood. Carried out over a five-year period in a skillful series of parts, Secret Citadel was presented in a number of Canadian galleries and museums, including the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Galerie 3 is more than pleased to show this not-to-be-missed masterpiece. Born in Saskatoon, Graeme Patterson graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2002 and now lives in Sackville, New Brunswick. Most recently, he has focused on the construction of large installations that integrate animation, video, sculptural models, robotics, sound, music, interactive elements and performance. His work has been presented internationally, including solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada, MASS MoCA, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Galerie UQAM and the BMO Project Room (Toronto). Group exhibition include the Montreal Biennal (2007). Patterson was awarded the 2012 Canada Council for the Arts Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award (media arts), and was the Atlantic finalist for the Sobey Art Award in 2014 and 2009. Less »Player Piano Waltz : the unforgettable masterpiece
