Page 21 - Studio International - June 1972

`genuinely massive ignorance'—an Report from planning a wide ranging purchasing programme
unpardonable blindness to or avoidance of the that will exceed the scope of traditional
real difficulty of substantiating as 'meaningful' Canada collecting.
any assertion made in consequence of the
abandonment of the 'material-character/ ARC (Art Research and Confrontation), that
physical-object' paradigm. As always, the last part of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de
effective supporters of the ailing status quo Paris which deals with new trends in different
are those whose 'revolutionary' principles are countries, is planning an exhibition for March
characterised by the abandonment with which 1973 to cover those trends in Canadian art. The
they seem to greet its decline. selection is currently being made by Pierre
Inevitably there have been anomalies Gaudibert and Suzanne Pagé of the Musée,
within the workings of Art-Language itself, which, with the Canada Council, is co-
within the relationship between the journal sponsoring the show.
(as a medium for work of a certain kind) and the
other work of its contributors (particularly in Vanguard is a monthly visual newspaper
terms of the employment of different-often dealing with events of general cultural interest
contradictory—paradigms of economic in and to British Columbia, that has been put
practice), within different positions taken by out by the Vancouver Art Gallery since January.
different contributors at the same time or the It is hoped that communications will improve
same contributors at different times. with what Tony Emery, Director of the Gallery,
Consistency is not, however, what one refers to as their 'Parish' of members, visitors,
necessarily strives for in a context of theoretical artists, students and interested individuals. In
discourse to which there are several the latest issue the Gallery announces 'Scan:
contributors. Something more like A Survey of Canadian Art Now,' an exhibition
'defensibility' is what one might aim at; and of in slide form of artists working in Canada in
course there can be ideological 'implications' whatever media can be represented or
here which are not ideological 'constraints'. documented in the form of ein. transparencies.
Personally I have little time for the advancement The intention is to permit the inclusion of more
of art under an ideological banner; it always artists showing a larger number of works in a
seems to lead to an abandonment of theoretical broader range of media than is possible in the
sophistication in the search for consistency. traditional exhibition of works as objects ... to
'The problem shifts from one of "refutation" present a cross-section of what Canadian artists
or "prohibition" to a problem of admitting or have on their minds, and what they are doing/
resolving inconsistencies between associated The painter Gershon Iskowitz of Toronto and making. (Entry forms, for any artist resident in
"theories" ' (Michael Baldwin). the sculptor Walter Redinger of West Lorne, Canada, are available from Scan, c/o The
There have been and are as many keepers of Ontario, are representing Canada at the 36th Vancouver Art Gallery, 1145 West Georgia
the ideological conscience of Art-Language as Venice Biennale. Iskowitz was born in Poland Street, Vancouver 5, B.C.)
there are individuals concerned with the journal. in 1921; surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald
There are certain implicit ideological he came to Canada in 1949. He says of himself: Another new publication File comes out in
commitments held in common among those 'All my life I've been searching. I don't give a the format of Life magazine under the auspices
individuals; but no ideology has yet been damn about society. I just want to do my own of General Idea in Toronto purveying news and
formulated to which all the same individuals - work-to express my own feelings, my own way gossip about some aspects of Canadian art/life.
would subscribe. This is, of course, one of the of thinking. Painting is just an extension of It is developing an Artists' Directory to file the
chief strengths of the association. A British myself. It's a plastic interpretation of the way I names of all Canadian artists involved in mailing
tendency toward intellectual scepticism has think. It's just me.' Eight canvases done since exchange or related concerns, along with a large
been at least as effective in maintaining this 1967 will be shown in Venice. Of their large, number of American correspondents and a few
flexibility as any 'fastidious' disatisfactions colour-filled spaces, which originate in, but international clearing houses. (Address :
generated by a search for high theoretical seem to go beyond, references to the northern Artists' Directory, 87 Yonge St Toronto t,
standards. The basis of the association in landscape, he says : 'My paintings are not Ontario, Canada.)
personal rather than ideological relationships abstract. They're real. They're very, very much
has also been important. 'No man is a prophet real. I see those things.' 'Art and the Courts : France and England
in his own country'. It has needed the Walter Redinger (born 1940), who has been from 1259 to 1328' is a major exhibition of
imagination of the French to turn Art-Language working in large-scale cast fibreglass since 1963, Medieval art organized by the National Gallery
into an intellectual holy cow. Some amusement is represented by his latest piece comprising to explore an aspect of the background of
is to be derived from watching their attempts eight units -Klonos which is 'violent and Canada's two founding cultures. It runs
to milk it. q confused motion'. It has been acquired by the through May and June in Ottawa. Embroideries,
CHARLES HARRISON National Gallery. ivories, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass
and ceramics are among over one hundred
[The above was written to introduce an anthology The collection of contemporary Canadian art works of art which have been borrowed from
of writings by the editors of Art-Language, published built up since 1966 by the Canada Council for France, England, Germany, Belgium, the U.S.
this month in German and English by Dumont
Schauberg Verlag. Art-Language is published three a total of $90,000, which has been travelling and Canada. The exhibition is accompanied by
times a year and is available in the UK from 103 across the country for the last two years, has a two volume catalogue, an illustrated book
Clarendon Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire been sold to the Department of External Court, Church and Castle by Margaret Wade
(price 75p), and in North America from 25o Bowery,
New York City, N.Y. 10012 (price $3). The editorial Affairs for $I50,000. There are serious rumours Labarge and two films produced for the occasion
board of Art-Language (Terry Atkinson, David that the Council, which aids development of the by the National Film Board on Exeter Cathedral
Bainbridge, Michael Baldwin, Ian Burn, Charles arts, social sciences and humanitites largely and Saint-Urban de Troyes. q
Harrison, Harold Hurrell, Joseph Kosuth and Mel
Ramsden) are participating in 'Documenta 5'.] through grants to artists and researchers, is CHARLoTTE ToWNSEND
235