ARENA: Road Game

September 10 - November 1, 2009

Roderick Buchanan, James Carl, Scott Conarroe, Michael Davey, Thierry Delva, Greg Forrest, Jean-Pierre Gauthier, Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg, Wanda Koop, Tim Lee, Craig Le Blanc, Jason McLean, Leah Modigliani, Charles Pachter, Graeme Patterson,  Ron Terada, Diana Thorneycroft and Colleen Wolstenholme.

Organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

Opening reception: September 10, 7 - 10 p.m.

Watch news clip on ARENA: Road Game, produced by The Hockey News.com.

The work in ARENA examines  Canada’s fascination with the game of hockey.  Using the game as a starting point, the exhibition explores hockey within the wider context of ideas and issues related to contemporary culture.     
  

James Carl, The Original Six, 1998.

The exhibition includes works in diverse media such as video projection, sculpture, installation, painting, printmaking and photography and features some of Canada’s leading contemporary artists: Sobey Art Award winners Jean-Pierre Gauthier and Tim Lee, established artists such as Wanda Koop and James Carl, and others at varying stages of practice such as Greg Forrest and Graeme Patterson, and international artists, Hanson+ Sonnenberg, Roderick Buchanan, and Annika Larrson.
 

     
       Chris Hanson + Hendrika Sonnenberg, Zamboni, 2005.

The works in ARENA examine the construction of such concepts as hero-worship, desire, sacrifice and the sublimation of violence in the creation of group identity through sport. Sub-themes include the culture of spectacle in Western society, the role of sport in the creation of male identity, and the role of athletes as screens for the projection of desire and aspiration. Pathos, humour, reverence, irreverence, competitiveness and team spirit are all elements of the works that will be on display.

 
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Museum Assistance Program

Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This video was produced for Arena: The Art of Hockey and not all works featured will be in the exhibition Arena: Road Game, at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art.
 

ARENA: Road Game feature on Leafspace.com