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Hi, Art!

Sunday, April 03, 2022

Hi, Art!

Sunday, April 03, 2022

Hi, art lovers!

 

It was another five days of the #WFH grind. For most of us at CBC Arts, I think that’s safe to say. But while I was blowing my lunch break debating the correct use of “LOL” over Slack, one of our colleagues was out becoming a bona fide showrunner. Who’s that? The one and only Amanda Parris, the (CSA-nominated!) host of CBC Arts: Exhibitionists and creator of the brand new web series Revenge of the Black Best Friend. The show premiered on CBC Gem Thursday (watch it here!) and it’s a comedy with a bit of a surreal premise: what if you could stage an intervention for a Hollywood hit — a so-called classic that doesn’t pass the DuVernay test?  

On Revenge of the Black Best Friend, Dr. Toni Shakur (Olunike Adeliyi) is a self-help guru who comes to the aid of sidelined Black characters, getting them into the spotlight they deserve. It’s a concept that reminded me of this old episode of The Cut Podcast, recommended listening for any ‘90s kid who rented Matilda or A Little Princess. On the episode, producer B.A. Parker tracks down some of her favourite child actresses of the era. As kids, they played some version of the Black best friend trope, and they discuss “the lasting effects of being labelled a sidekick.” 

As for what’s happening on Revenge of the Black Best Friend, all six episodes are streaming now. Later this week, it’s heading to Canneseries, Cannes International Series Festival, where it'll be appearing in the short-form competition. Amazing. The Toronto Star recently touched base with Amanda about the show for this feature about new Canadian web series. Another notable mention from that article: Topline, created by CBC Arts alum Romeo Candido. (RIYL: pop music, coming-of-age drama, Toronto on screen. Watch it here.)

And because we promised you eye candy ...

 
Figurative painting of a reclining nude white woman with short hair. She lies on a lumpy blue sofa and holds a smartphone. Her body is smeared with colourful blobs -- maybe food, maybe paint, maybe filth. A coffee table lined with dirty dishes appears in the foreground.

Riisa Gundesen

I only just stumbled on this Edmonton artist’s website, so as a late-breaking addition to last week’s “goblin mode” roundup … La Goblin Odalisque. (That’s not the actual title. I’m just enough of a goober to think it works. Title: Reclining Nude. Artist: Riisa Gundesen.)

 
Realistic painting of a shiny baby deer in a surreal meadow. Everything is in neon purple and blue.

Megan Ellen MacDonald

Shiny new paintings by Megan Ellen MacDonald! (Remember these time-lapse videos she made for us?) She has a new solo exhibition at the Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ont.
 
Photo of a staged tableau. At centre, a figure wears a mask of a heavily made up face and a sculptural garment resembling a dress made of magenta tentacles. The abstracted 3D backdrop suggests a collage or mixed media landscape of the ocean.

@shameusseamus/Instagram

Séamus Gallagher (previously seen here), Marisa Kriangwiwat Holmes and Clara Lacasse are the recipients of the 2022 New Generation Photography Award. As part of the prize, their work will feature in a pair of winners exhibitions, including a show at the National Gallery of Canada.
 
Photo of the rusted hood of an old blue truck. The metal has been cut into a delicate pattern of weeds and wildflowers.

@burn_island/Instagram

Beauty springs … from a busted old truck hood. Garrett Owen Gilbart is the artist behind this rugged piece. (For those who braved Toronto’s One Of A Kind show this weekend, did you stop by his booth?)
 
Photo illustration of an art installation underneath the Gardiner Expressway. Colourful piping hangs from the overpass, visible to people walking below.

@thebentway/Instagram

That picture’s just a mock-up illustration, but it’s your first peek at a new public art installation that’ll be appearing under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway come May. The Bentway announced its summer schedule recently, and this piece by Mimi Lien is among the highlights. 
 
 

You've got to see this

 
 
 
Still from Baroness Von Sketch Show. A crowd surrounds a white bearded man. He is given a trophy by a woman in a red gown at his left. At his right, another woman, a reporter, extends a TV microphone towards him.
Jackie Brown

How to pay rent (while pursuing an acting career)

 
Get financial advice from a working Canadian actor. A few quick tips: keep your receipts and maybe try to have rich parents.
 
Photo of a billboard in a Vancouver park. Condos and an overpass appear behind it. On the billboard, there is a photo of a young woman wearing a headscarf by Miranda Barnes.
Jocelyne Junker, Capture Photography Festival

Look up, Vancouver! Thanks to the Capture festival, art is where you least expect it

 
The largest photography festival in Western Canada kicked off Friday. Check out some of the highlights.
 
Medium close-up photo of Chip Zdarsky, a bearded white man wearing a pink shirt and brown jacket, standing on a snowy residential street.

zdars.co

 

Chip Zdarsky: the hero Gotham deserves?

 
The Toronto comic book artist on the challenges of writing Batman, and why his new project is a comic about comics.
 

Follow this artist

 
 
 
Instagram

Valéry Goulet

@valerydesignwrks
Illustrated CBC gem logo comprised of cartoon doves, poppies, olive branches and a peace lily.

@valerydesignwrks/Instagram

We called Valéry in Edmonton last week to chat about her logo design. Global events, especially Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, were weighing on her mind as she developed the concept: a message of hope and peace.
 

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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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