Pure prairie pieces
New Plug In show offers overview of contemporary high-plains art
Tracy Marshall

From<To is an exhibition of 13 amateur and professional artists working in a variety of media, ranging from painting and photography to video and sculpture.

This show, curated by Winnipegger Doug Lewis, brings together artists from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, and it’s a visceral delight to the senses. The exhibit flows easily from one artist to the next, and from one medium to another. Indeed, this eclectic mix of contemporary Prairie art truly does have something for everyone.

Walking into the gallery, you may hear several phones ring. They are loud, shrill and beg to be answered. Looking down to your left you see four phones lined up by Mike Marth from Minnesota. The receivers are encased in cement — never to be picked up. Only the artist has the number, and he calls it periodically when he wants to “get in touch.” This type of engaging contemporary art with a modern twist is seen throughout From>To. It’s all part of the surreal feeling in the gallery.

Urban and rural themes are juxtaposed in many of the works. A video by Gerald Smith from Minnesota depicts a horse, a cow, a pig and a sheep all having a conversation with a woman. They are talking about cloning and debating the morality of the issue. The noise of traffic from outside the gallery contrasts the rural setting of the clip. The animals eventually abandon the illusion that the woman cares for them — they are simply animals, and she is the superior being.

A painting in two parts, by Kevin Friedrich of Saskatchewan, is a humorous depiction of a skeleton driving a hot rod and a cow grazing in a field, a visual pun that alludes to a popular brand of beef jerky. Friedrich uses traditional ornamental motifs to enhance the humour in his work. Again, this clever amalgamation of ideas and humour is seen throughout the exhibition.

From<To is contemporary art that appeals to a variety of tastes and preferences. It makes you think. So get up From the place you are reading this and go To Plug In ICA. The To is greater than From.

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