On the occasion of her retirement, Marnie Fleming, Curator of Contemporary Art at Oakville Galleries presents her final farewell show.
Entitled You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me, the show brings together the objects and images which resonate most strongly with her after twenty-plus years at the Galleries—those that questioned, challenged and provoked her.
And it is a very strong show.
Scott McFarland, Orchard View, Late Spring: Vitis viniferia, Wisteria, 2004. Digital Cibachrome print. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries.
From early commissioned works by Kim Adams and Jeannie Thib, to photographs by Angela Grauerholz and Scott McFarland, to a lakeside audio walk by Janet Cardiff, the show is a smorgasbord of contemporary Canadian art. Beyond showcasing the impressive depth of the Galleries’ holdings, You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me reflects the diversity of art practices as they’ve developed since the early 1990’s, and it is particularly recommended for those who don’t know much about the contemporary scene.
Across the show there are some beautifully curated moments— most notably an assembly of three works set together in perfect harmony against an original mantel in the home-turned-gallery space at Gairloch Gardens.
An early commission by Kim Adams is set beside a grouping of works by Spring Hurlbut, Micah Lexier and Tatsuo Miyajima. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries.
In this grouping, Japanese artist Tatsumo Miyajima’s Time Fire burns at centre, while Spring Hurlbut’s tooth-encrusted entablature hovers above a photo-based work by Micah Lexier. Although each piece presents a personal comment on the passing of time, the works gain greater potency when set against the decades-old fireplace in the gallery space — a feature which itself witnessed many changes and transformations over the years.
Tatsuo Miyajima, Time Fire, 1996. LED, integrated circuit, electric wire and wood panel. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries.
Micah Lexier, Set of Seven (Siblings), 1993. Photographs mounted on books and Barre granite. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries.
Indeed, the theme of change and evolution features very strongly in the show—and it makes sense considering its retrospective nature.
In fact, David Merritt’s Rope can be seen as a metaphor for Marnie’s career and for the permanent collection she’s helped develop at the Galleries. By allowing new works to challenge her perspective and promote new ways of thinking, ideas, like the rope, have unravelled, expanded, and taken new form over time—and this is exactly what Marnie hopes visitors will take away from the show.
David Merritt, untitled (rope), 2005. Sisal rope fibre. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries.
“If I have had only one goal during my time here,” Marnie writes in her introduction to the show, “it is that you, as viewers, have encounters with these works that are as satisfying as my own, luring you in, stirring your soul and prompting your imagination.”
So next time you are in Oakville, stop by the galleries and let these works take a hold of you too.
Veronica Scarpati
*Exhibition information: June 8 – August 30, 2014, Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens and at Centennial Square, 1306 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville. Gallery hours: Tue – Fri 1 –5, Sat 10 – 5, Sun 1 – 5 p.m.