A story of scandal and toxic celebrity obsession.
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Hi, Art!

Sunday, February 06, 2022

Hi, Art!

Sunday, February 06, 2022

Hi, art lovers!

 

You know what I realized just now? For weeks — maybe months — I’ve had an announcement to share with you. Trust me, there are splashy new projects coming to CBC Arts, and they’re coming very soon. (Think next week.) But I can’t remember the last time I just opened my browser history for an old-fashioned stream-of-consciousness link dump. My invisible friends, it has indeed been awhile — like, a time before Wordle, and certainly a time before people were downloading seven whole years’ worth of daily challenges. Otherwise, I would have shared things like this with you earlier: a massive (and massively entertaining) guide to Canadian art by TVO. Further educational content (suitable for all ages): one of the first quarantine art challenges of the pandemic is still going — and it’s been spun into a show. (It’s also a newsletter! Actually … did any of you keep up with any of the arty lockdown diversions that were huge in 2020? I was wondering about that while working on this story.) 

While other stars dabble in ceramics (Hi, Drake), Solange has gone and launched a whole artist residency program. Other examples of where blobs labelled “art” and “celebrity” overlap on a Venn diagram: Julia Garner’s performance in Ozark was apparently inspired by Caravaggio? Also, Alec Baldwin is hosting a podcast (Art Fraud) about the same forgery scandal that’s covered in this feature doc (stream it on CBC Gem). 

And because we promised you eye candy ...

 
Photo of the Vancouver Art Gallery at dusk. Outside the columned entrance is an installation of seven cylindrical lanterns that are decorated with illustrations by different artists.

@jagnagra/Instagram

Happy Lunar New Year to all those who celebrate! It’s the Year of the Tiger, and I’ve managed to herd a whole streak of tiger art. (That’s seriously what you call a group of tigers: a streak!) This lantern installation is outside the Vancouver Art Gallery through Feb. 9. Part of the programming for the Lantern City, the participating artists include Paige Bowman, Sandeep Johal and Jag Nagra.

 
GIF of a wooden carving depicting a tiger's open mouth containing further figures, humans alternating with tigers, in the style of a nesting doll.

@xiaojing.yan.studio/Instagram

Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum reopened last week. That’s where you’ll find this jaw-dropping sculpture by Xiaojing Yan, Tiger’s Embrace.
 
Painting. Abstracted interior scene. A living room with maximalist furnishings. Several tigers of various sizes launge on the floor and a sofa. Two orange hounds appear to gaze through a window.

Juliana Hyrri

From a Tiger’s Embrace to tigers you’d actually want to snuggle with on a lazy Sunday morning. This cozy scene is by Juliana Hyrri.
 
Poster hung on white wall with washi tape. Illustration of cartoon style dumplings in the shape of tiger kitten faces. Three rest on a plate and one is in a soup spoon.

@lissshu/Instagram

And while I’m indulging in some cozy vibes, bring on the dumplings. Risograph by Toronto’s Lis Xu.
 
Photo of an illustrated ceramic vessel on a lilac fabric backdrop. Form is painted in pastel pink and purple with blobs of neon yellow. A large black and white cartoon of a smiling tiger fills the bulbous base of the form. Small berries with faces are also depicted at the top and bottom of the vessel.

@ccmsavage/Instagram

This fierce ceramic vessel is the work of Calgary duo Chris Savage and Mao (Kun) Chen.
 
Cartoon digital illustration of a tiger in neon blues and purples and pinks. Stars and ringed planets fill the purple sky. Geometric forms resembling rooftops and stairs fill the bottom of the composition.

Jieun June Kim

And just because, a cosmic (big) cat by Toronto-based artist Jieun June Kim. 
 
 

You've got to see this

 
 
 
Lily James and Sebastian Stan in a scene from Pam & Tommy. The performers are seated in an airplane. Lily, as Pamela Anderson, wears dark sunglasses and an open black hoodie. She turns her face towards Sebastian (as Tommy Lee) in conversation. He wears a backwards ballcap, leather jacket and heavy silver rings. Sunglasses resting on his forehead, he scratches his chin in thought.
Hulu

Pam & Tommy & Us

 
Yeah, it’s a miniseries about the infamous ‘90s sex tape, but Pam & Tommy turns a critical eye to how we all had a role in this toxic celebrity scandal.
 
Closeup on detail of Citation Ethics (Toni Morrison) 1987, a 2021 work by Ja'Tovia Gary. It is a sign in the style of a Motel sign. In lights it reads
© Ja'Tovia Gary. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York

Ever hear of citational art?

 
For jamilah malika abu-bakare, it’s a way to honour the Black women artists who came before her. 
 
Still from 21 Black Futures. A young Black person wears a mask and navy jumpsuit. They are seated against an indigo backdrop.

CBC Arts

 

Last chance!

 
21 Black Futures leaves CBC Gem later this month. Don’t sleep on this sci-fi anthology series featuring some of Canada’s top theatre talent.
 

Follow this artist

 
 
 
Instagram

Kestin Cornwall

@kestincornwall
Pop-art image of a Black woman with glamourous makeup and a full afro hairstyle embracing a Black man in a pale pink suit. They are surrounded by a halo of leafy green houseplants.

@kestincornwall/Instagram

A little bit of trivia about Kestin’s CBC Arts logo design: to make it, he pulled elements from two of his pre-existing pieces. This here is one of them — Melanated Monas: Black Cake Recipe.
 

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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time!

 
XOXO CBC Arts
XOXO CBC Arts
 
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