Creature discomforts

There are some strange sights in the gallery these days and I’m not sure if they’re friends or foes. Some of them look like wispy marshmallowy cobwebs while others are like blob-shaped jars of pickles without the jars. Fun, goofy, intriguing … and then you start to think about them.

What are they? Should I touch them? Are they alien species?

California artist Anneliese Vobis brings us a different version of the kind of work that Edmonton’s Lyndal Osbourne has been doing for years now, but on a different scale. Her playful biological-esque entities hold as much fascination and trepidation.

Jenny Willson-McGrath, exhibition curator, explained that the basis for this genre of art is most likely ecological commentary.

“It feels like a very environmentally-swayed concept,” she said. “I just think that when you look at the installed artwork, they are breathtaking. “It’s obvious that they’re very well-considered and that she’s got a very clear point of view visually and environmentally.”

Environmental indeed. Grey jellyfish-like beings play off of natural forms but with artificial materials. Those Styrofoam cobwebs are actually knitted plastic bags that have been formed into cocoon-like bags similar to what you might find produce wrapped in. The pickles … well, they’re covered individually with some kind of fabric and all strung together somehow, giving them the perception of foot-long amoebas on the attack. There’s also a piece that looks like a Body Worlds cross-section of a brain or a plate of meats at the deli counter.

It doesn’t help that they have names like Biomimicry, Radiolarian Ooze and Hybrid Organism.

Viewers are just as likely to think of them as toys as the stuff of nightmares. These organic shaped pieces are quite contemporary in media but have a strong base in traditional techniques with knitting and crocheting. All have the benefit of recycled materials, adding another dimension to just how environmental the collection really is.

Attendees to the show might balk at the notion of exhibit space being offered to an artist from so far afield but Willson-McGrath feels it’s actually a sign of great success for the Art Gallery of St. Albert. New communication tools in the industry, including advances in social media and the ease of word-of-mouth spreading across borders all mean that calls for submissions are extending farther than ever before. They’re also getting a better reception with some distant responses.

“We’re reaching a lot further,” Willson-McGrath said. “People are hearing about us all over the world. In the last three years, we’ve had applications from France, Austria, a number from the States this year actually. It’s changing.”

She added by emphasizing that there are no restrictions on who can apply and that all submissions for shows are treated with the utmost professionalism. This means that all applicants are completely anonymous. There’s always a strong representation from local artists in St. Albert, Edmonton and even Calgary but every once in a while, the talent pool stretches its perimeter to include someone like Vobis.

“The way that we select the work is very much merit-based. It’s done completely blind,” she said. “Our jury doesn’t know who these artists are so it’s very fair but at the same time we’re very conscious of making sure that we’re promoting what’s happening locally as well.”