As a part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival, Rodney Graham’s Jack of All Trades sees the distinguished Canadian artist waxing satirical on the notion of identity and performance. Presented in three pairs of monumental light box displays (reminiscent of promotional movie posters adorning the walls of a local multiplex), Graham’s photographs are presented in a very modern and cinematic high definition format; yet their two-paneled constructions recall the art historical tradition of diptychs. Ironically, in “Actor/Director, 1954” (2013) Graham creates an imagined film set, where the artist assumes the role as both a director and actor, dressed in eighteenth century aristocratic garb, uncannily blending current and bygone epochs to a humorous yet perplexing effect. Similarly, in “Basement Camera Shop, Circa 1937” (2011), Graham disguises himself as a meek sales associate surrounded by a bevy of camera paraphernalia, as the artist assumes the role of a seasoned performer, inhabiting disparate personalities with the gusto of a professional.
Rodney Graham, Actor/Director, 1954, 2013, two painted aluminium light boxes with transmounted chromogenic transparencies, 106 x 145 x 7”. Courtesy of the artist and 303 Gallery, New York; Lisson Gallery, London and Hauser & Wirth, Zürich
Throughout the exhibition, Graham readily portrays himself in the guise of readymade stock characters, paradoxically reverting his image and likeness as a well-known artist to that of a lifeless representation of generic tropes and surface appearances: eighteenth century courtly gentleman, perfectionist, humble salesman, packrat, etc. Graham’s method of choice in Jack of All Trades recalls the ironically iconic works of Cindy Sherman, who appropriated televisual and cinematic recreations of femininity and sexuality by modifying her appearance to recreate these flaccid characterizations. While Sherman’s work remains a hallmark in feminist-driven art of the latter twentieth century, Graham images are not geared towards a specific greater cause or disrupting any cultural norm.
Rodney Graham, Basement Camera Shop, Circa 1937, 2011, painted aluminium light box with transmounted chromogenic transparency 71 x 71 x 7”. Courtesy of the artist and 303 Gallery, New York; Lisson Gallery, London and Hauser & Wirth, Zürich
In a time of political upheaval and social injustices, Jack of All Trades provides a welcomed, visually stunning and humorous diversion from the perils of contemporary global issues.
Rodney Graham, Pipe Cleaner Artist, Amalfi ’61, 2013, two painted aluminium light boxes with transmounted chromogenic transparencies 90 x 146 x 7”. Courtesy of the artist and 303 Gallery, New York; Lisson Gallery, London and Hauser & Wirth, Zürich
David Saric
*Exhibition information: May 12 – July 30, 2016, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, 401 Richmond Street West Ste 124, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat, 12 – 5 p.m.