FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.


Masquerading in the Park
Lesbian Park Rangers and More at the Banff Centre
by David Garneau

Private Investigations: Masquerade and Public Space
Walter Phillips Gallery and Banff townsite
until September 14.

The most dynamic and experimental contemporary art space in Canada is also the most overlooked. The Walter Phillips Gallery mounts group shows resulting from artist residencies at the Banff Centre. Until recently, these exhibitions were mostly hodgepodge affairs - interesting collections of work produced by divergent artists visiting from across Canada and around the world - but since the residency program has gone thematic, the shows have become more cohesive, collaborative and communitarian. The efforts of individual artists are now organized by a theme, facilitated by a curator, and inspired by the temporary collective. But because these shows are secreted away in the mountains they are not often seen by those outside the artworld. This is a shame.

In an effort to remedy this situation, the Centre has taken two steps. Last year they set up a multi-use adjunct space, The Banff Centre on Eighth, that puts on occasional exhibitions in Calgary, and, especially during tourist season, the gallery encourages performances that include the Banff townsite. Private Investigators: Masquerade and Public Space, a series of seriocomic performances and an exhibition about identity, guest curated by Kathryn Walter, is one of the best examples of these "out-reach" programs.

While the exhibition is a project room collecting artifacts from performances taking place elsewhere, they are self-contained. A growing set of photographs documenting the performances as they occur keep the viewer current. This is the best part of Private Investigators; the weakness is the inclusion of "background" installations. Some, like Judy Radul's brilliant color photocopies of herself masquerading as a man (had me fooled for quite awhile! I thought it was about male homosocial anxiety... hmmm, maybe it was), and Lorri Millan and Shawna Dempsey's wicked video tape "A Day in the Life of a Bull Dyke," offers clear contextualization. Others - like Millan's and Dempsey's costumes from previous performances, Faye HeavyShield's pile of dyed women's clothing, and Judy Radul's 1993 installation "To Shine," are interesting and somewhat related to the primary project, but seem incomplete, orphaned and distracting.

The distractions are, however, trifling compared to the hilarious main events. Imagine two fully outfitted forest rangers from the Lesbian National Parks and Services handing out official-looking guides and holding recruiting drives among the tourists. Millan and Dempsey up the auntie yet again with their inimitable humor about serious issues of lesbian and female identity. Millie Chen and Evelyn von Michalofski play on the much mythologized and commercialized Cave and Basin. You may find them on the trails as soothsayers offering "Oracle Brand" fortunes (their line of soap products are back at the gallery).

Perhaps invisibly (but hey, that's the point) Radul parades the streets on the arm of a variety of men in drag - dressed according to several stereotypes of masculinity. What is undetectable in the street becomes a very funny questioning of compulsory heterosexuality in the subtle photos at the gallery. As part of their performance, Shelly Niro and Faye HeavyShield build and wear long braids woven with traditional and untraditional materials symbolically narrating the struggles of Native women. Back at the gallery, and in the cyberscape, Kathy Kennedy has a Website. (Where would an exhibition of contemporary art be without one?)

Alright, now gather a bunch of fun loving friends, jump in the car and head out to Banff and see if you can spot the performances amid the tourists. You'll want to be there on Saturday, July 19 from 3-5 p.m. for a panel discussion about performance in public spaces, at the Lougheed Building room 204, and for the Cabaret Masquerade, 9 p.m. at The Club.

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