Review
ON POSTURING
Ryan Sluggett
Runs until November 21
Art Gallery of Calgary
(117 Eighth Ave. S.W.)
Ryan Sluggett is following the dictum "paint what you know" in an exhibition of his works entitled On Posturing that recently opened at the Art Gallery of Calgary.
Sluggett is a Calgary-born artist who has spent the past year reflecting on his formative years growing up in Edgemont where, he says, "My family would spend our weekends touring showhomes."
If Sluggett sounds like yet another disenfranchised brat from the ’burbs, his work tells another story. He has an adroit sense of humour that is as introspective as it is critical of the suburban wasteland. With a deep appreciation of art history Sluggett uses his fascination with perspective to create a series of drawings and paintings that are as visually enticing as they are intellectually engaging. Picasso, Matisse and Rubens are all referenced by Sluggett in a collection of more than 40 works that indicate a promising career ahead for this young artist.
In the drawing "Post-Game Depression," Sluggett presents his take on the sports fan’s emotional reaction to loss. Sitting on a long couch are three armchair athletes with dour expressions on their faces. The scene includes a plate of mini-sausages that have been partially consumed during the course of the fateful game. The power of the piece lies not so much in its critique of such activity as in the honesty that comes from Sluggett painting his up-close-and-personal observations of this suburban world in a gently prodding fashion.
In another drawing, "Tonight Got Messy," the action becomes presumably even more autobiographical with a scene of a night out at a bar where too much alcohol has been consumed in too little time. The party turns ugly with an unfortunate puking scene and a car careening out of control.
Continuing on with the theme of art history meets suburbia is the series of paintings, which include seven large canvases and nine medium-sized works. Food Court is a grand painting that explores the world of those dedicated to the sport of shopping. The colourful consumers in this work are arranged at a food court under a flood of light from a skylight that would make any 17th-century painter pick up his brush.
All-Inclusive is another well-conceived work. This time it’s the resort vacation that has captured the artist’s attention. A rather Rubenesque woman reclines on her chaise longue while a whole cast of characters, including a captive dolphin, fill the canvas. Using elements of portrait, narrative and landscape painting to poke fun at the values that dominate North America’s middle class, All-Inclusive is a humorous picture with a lingering message about what makes our society tick.
Although Sluggett is only 23 years old, his paintings and drawings show a maturity of vision that should become even more lucid as he experiences the world outside the cozy comforts of Calgary. On Posturing is a wonderful walk through suburbia, with a lesson in perspective and art history there for the viewing. |
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