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Hi, Art!

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Hi, Art!

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Hi, art lovers!

 
Still from BlackBerry. A group of seven men stand in a room. A black board is on the wall behind them. A sign labelled

Matthew Miller

 
It’s the story of the world’s first smartphone — a dramatic miniseries that “bristles with chaotic comedic energy.” BlackBerry is now streaming on CBC Gem, and before you send me an email explaining that you already watched that movie six months ago, please allow me to clarify. Yes, BlackBerry is a movie! CBC Arts (and Vanity Fair) are already very excited about Glenn Howerton’s Oscar chances. But it’s also a miniseries from the same creative team: a three-part story containing new footage that never appeared in the film. 

Why, though? We got in touch with BlackBerry’s co-writer Matthew Miller to talk about just that. (Find that interview below.) 

The project marks a new approach for film and TV in this country — a “big experiment,” per the Globe and Mail, that can open more access to funding. (Here’s another link — sans paywall — which breaks down the details of BlackBerry’s production journey.)

But that’s all money talk. Are there any creative reasons for wanting to tell a story two ways? 

Toronto filmmaker Matt Johnson didn’t just direct BlackBerry, he’s the co-writer and one of the stars, and this CBC interview captures some of his thoughts on the subject — plus another talking point: why are people nostalgic for a time before smartphones? 

If you happen to agree, this virtual museum is for you. Someone should tell them to update their Phones in Movies exhibit, though. It’d be easy. They’ve already got plenty of vintage RIM gadgets in their collection.
 

And because we promised you eye candy ...

 
Detail of a 3D digital artwork. Shining shelf-like forms resembling fungi grow from wavy purple circuitboards.

Sabrina Ratté

On the subject of obsolete tech … a new audiovisual installation from Montreal artist Sabrina Ratté imagines a post-human future, one where mutant mushrooms and other living things exist in harmony with electronic waste. It’s called Inflorescences and it debuted Friday at the Mira Digital Arts Festival in Barcelona. 
 
Framed artwork made of felted wool. Suggests a realistic close-up forest scene of brown mushrooms and moss growing from bark.

Heather Talbot

From digital mushrooms to woolly ones! Textile artist Heather Talbot is one of 80 (!!!) artists showing work at this year’s Eastside Culture Crawl preview exhibition. The crawl itself happens Nov. 16 to 19 in Vancouver, but the multi-venue group show is already open. Get all the info here.
 
Film still. A figure wearing a pink top and skull-topped metallic headdress stands outside in front of a giant pink axolotyl sculpture. The figure's ace is painted yellow and they hold a staff.

Naomi Rincón Gallardo

The Toronto Biennial of Art will return next fall (Sept. 21 to Dec. 1). Some early programming details were revealed last week, including the first round of participating artists. Naomi Rincón Gallardo is on that list. (Pictured: a still from her project, The Formaldehyde Trip. It’s a surreal story about murdered environmental activist Bety Cariño.)
 
Colourful artwork suggesting a distorted Norval Morrisseau painting.

Native Art Department International

Maria Hupfield is another artist who’s already confirmed for the Toronto Biennial of Art, and Native Art Department International — her collaborative project with Jason Lujan — will be opening a new exhibition (High Magick) at Patel Brown Montreal this Thursday. 
 
Photo of a large sculptural installation: a seated and smiling toothy humanoid figure covered with heaps of scrap fabric and jewelry.

Tau Lewis

Bow down! Later this week, Canadian artist Tau Lewis will unveil a new installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. The figure you see before you — heaped with jewelry and fabric, among other things — represents a deity of Tau’s creation, Saint Mozelle.
 
 

You've got to see this

 
 
 
Still from BlackBerry. A crowd of people gather in an office.
IFC Films/Elevation Pictures

The legend of RIM continues

 
Not every movie can be turned into a miniseries — and vice versa. So why does it work for BlackBerry? Co-writer Matthew Miller weighs in. 
 
Portrait of the artist Geoff McFetridge. He is a man with short hair and a goatee. He wears dark frame glasses, a white T-shirt, jeans and a paint-splattered apron. He is seated on a wooden bench with his arms crossed. Three of his paintings hang on the white walls behind him. They are minimalistic representations of female figures with their backs to the viewer.
Andrew Paynter/Courtesy of Dress Code

You’ve seen this Calgary artist’s work, even if you’ve never heard his name

 
Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life arrives in Toronto this weekend after its award-winning debut at SXSW. Born and raised in Alberta, Geoff has found acclaim in the worlds of art, design and even Hollywood. What’s the secret to his success? Filmmaker Dan Covert set out to find the answer.
 
Close-up portrait of the actor Brendan Fraser. He is a white man with short dark hair. With a furrowed brow, he gazes directly at the camera. He is bathed in dark blue light.

Audible Canada

 

For his latest role, Brendan Fraser plays a man thawed from a cryogenic deep-freeze

 
And no, it’s not Encino Man 2. The actor stars in the Canadian audio drama The Downloaded.
 

Follow this artist

 
 
 
Instagram

Meera Sethi

@meerasethi
Photo of an open HBC striped wool coat. The lining reveals a sculptural textile creation suggesting a humanoid deity with a red, horned face adorned with necklackes of flowers, leaves and human heads.

Meera Sethi

Meera spoke with us about her two (!!!) new exhibitions: Outerwhere and Cotton Exchange. This pic is from Outerwhere, on now at Cambridge Art Galleries in Cambridge, Ont. The show captures the experience of South Asian newcomers to Canada, and centres on 12 winter coats — second-hand parkas with extraordinary linings.  
 

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

 
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