Friend or Foe is an exhibition featuring new work by two of C anada’s most respected visual artists – Rebecca Belmore and Terrance Houle\ , curated by Darrin Martens MA Candidate\, Critical and Cu ratorial Studies\, UBC.
Opening at the Or Gallery in Vancouver on Apr il 24\, 2010
Titled Friend or Foe the exhibition explores the stereot yped First Nations body within contemporary social contexts. Belmore shall be represented by a new video projection based on a recent performance held at the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology. The perfor mance explores\, on one level the relationship between First Nations and th e Museum and secondly the homeless aboriginal body. Alongside this work wil l be a reconfigured video work from the 2009 Hive Festival- Victorious. Hou le’s contribution includes a recent series of pin-hole photographs document ing and questioning aboriginal stereotypes within the context of First Nati ons dioramas at the Calgary Stampede alongside a new video projection which examines the myths and proliferations of “Indian Sign Language” and the qu estion of identity presented within this context.
Guest curator Darri n Martens explains\, “Friend or Foe boldly questions how the Abori ginal body may be utilized to create and dismantle First Nations stereotype s. Belmore and Houle\, each in their own way\, utilize their own body and t he performance medium to delve into and explore colonialism and the social affects of racial stereotyping.”
Anishinabe-born Rebecca Belmore base s her practice in Vancouver\, British Columbia. Since 1987\, her multi-disc iplinary work has addressed history\, place and identity through the media of sculpture\, installation\, video and performance. Belmore was Canada's o fficial representative at the 2005 Venice Biennale.
Terrance Houle is an internationally recognized multi-disciplinary artist of Blood Tribe anc estry based in Calgary\, Alberta. Houle studied at the Alberta College of A rt & Design earning a BFA in Fibre in 2003. In 2004\, his short\, The Wagon Burner\, won the Best Experimental Film Award at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto.
The Or Gallery is an artist-run centr e committed to exhibiting work by local\, national\, and international arti sts whose art practice is of a critical\, conceptual and/or interdisciplina ry nature. Since its inception in 1983 the gallery has acted as a laborator y for research\, proposition making\, conceptual experimentation and docume ntation.
The Or Gallery Society gratefully acknowledges the support o f the Canada Council\, the Province of BC through the BC Arts Council\, the City of Vancouver\, our members\, donors\, and volunteers. Or Gallery is a member of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres (PAARC).
Friend or Foe is presented with support from the Killy Foundation\, the Al vin Balkind Fund for Student Curatorial Initiatives\, the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery\, and the Department of Art History\, Visual Art and The ory at The University of British Columbia.
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