{"id":5084,"date":"2012-11-28T08:22:14","date_gmt":"2012-11-28T16:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=5084"},"modified":"2012-11-28T09:35:04","modified_gmt":"2012-11-28T17:35:04","slug":"the-convincing-nature-of-11-blue-squares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2012\/11\/28\/the-convincing-nature-of-11-blue-squares\/","title":{"rendered":"The convincing nature of 11 blue squares"},"content":{"rendered":"

Any time a photographer hangs 11 large blue squares on white walls and calls it art, I must check it out. It\u2019s always possible we have the next Black Square<\/em> on our hands, and I want to have seen it first.<\/p>\n

Now, I admit that I\u2019m a contextualist. If it\u2019s an image that needs an explanation, give me an explanatory note beside each piece, or, better yet, headphones and a taped explanation. Or let me speak to the artist. If I have to go in without any background and guess at the meaning behind what I am seeing, I get irritated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Horizon #2, normally in a deeper shade of blue (photo provided).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I climbed the stairs to the second-floor location in a less-than-receptive mood and crossed the threshold into the long, bright, tiny white room showing Horizon 1 to 11<\/em>. <\/em>My eyes noticed the absence of title cards and, irritated anew, I thought about leaving.<\/p>\n

But something about the squares drew me further into the room. Then I felt the old hit of knowing I was in the presence of art, and my eyes opened as the serene, sepulchral environment made an impression.<\/p>\n

What the blue squares were mounted on was beginning to warp. Did the artist mean for them to appear to float above the walls like that? I noticed my shadow looked different reflected in each one; was that intentional? My favorite a deep, Prussian blue pool was steeped in nostalgia for me, reminding me of leaning over the edge of an air mattress as a child, looking deep into the bluest part of the lake. But why did she choose blue? Why a square?<\/p>\n

In her artist\u2019s statement, Wallace explains her blue squares as a \u201clonging to be able to see what is beyond, so that the visually familiar becomes almost invisible,\u201d of \u201cwanting to create a contemplative space,\u201d and of trying to avoid the natural restriction of photography because \u201can image always has to be something.\u201d<\/p>\n

While I wish I could say I honestly knew what she meant, I can\u2019t. But, having seen the installation, I\u2019m prepared to say that whatever it was, she pulled it off. (Hear that? It\u2019s the sound of my aesthetic muscle being stretched.)<\/p>\n

Some argue most contemporary art is not art or if it is, it\u2019s not good art. But whether or not a square of solid colour be it a photograph or, say, a painting of a black square is art is not an interesting question. It is one for the philosophers to argue over, and a question artists have been wise to ignore, as evidenced by these 11 blue squares.<\/p>\n

Horizon 1 to 11
\n<\/em>Until December 15<\/strong>
\nDeluge Contemporary Art Gallery, 636 Yates Street<\/strong>
\ndeluge.ca<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Any time a photographer hangs 11 large blue squares on white walls and calls it art, I must check it out. It\u2019s always possible we have the next Black Square on our hands, and I want to have seen it first. Now, I admit that I\u2019m a contextualist. If it\u2019s an image that needs an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,11,86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-issue","category-november-28-2012"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t