What dreams may come
Travelling exhibit showcases the nighttime fantasies of 30 artists
Stacey Abramson

Dreams can be a delicate subject for art. They’re important to creation yet can be awkward if worked with improperly.

In Your Dreams, currently exhibiting at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery, gets it right.

The exhibit is all about threes — 30 artists in total from three countries, with three curators, and the exhibition tours over three years. The show features 10 artists and one curator each from Canada, Australia and Germany. Local artist and curator Karen Cornelius handled the Canadian portion. Each artist in the exhibition was asked to create a piece that could be contained in a box in keeping with the theme ‘in your dreams.’ Winnipeg is the show’s second stop on a trip around the world.

The secret nature of dreams is reflected by many of the artists. Bonnie Marin opens up a saucy world of sleepovers through her collaged diorama. Corrie Wright’s interactive box gives a nod to the various connections that everyday snippets can make in the subconscious mind.

It’s interesting to see how these artists interpret dreams. Some take the literal sense of the word and take pieces of their own REM experiences and make them reality. Fay Jelly’s squishy, vivid images of lush fruits and forms appear to reference the murky nature of pleasant dreams. Of course, Diana Thorneycroft brings the darker side of dreams into her work. Her nightmarish box of torture opens up to reveal an uncomfortable dreamscape that would shake anyone awake.

Barb Flemington beautifully brings to life the importance that dreams can have on consciousness and art-making. Her Meditations on Love tangibly communicates the dream-like euphoria that her art brings her.

Most pieces in the show revolve around a box, with only a few seeping outside the container.

Craig Love’s Dream Clutcher tackles the difficulties many suffer in dreaming. His sculptures of hand-moulded, leftover paint blobs read like tiny wishes for sleep. Caitlin Sheedy’s aptly titled In Your Dreams delicately folds a black-and-white story over a plane of pages.

Daydreams and memories are sweetly brought into the exhibit through the work of Michael Boss and Penny Carey Wells. Boss’ simple text and photo harkens back to childhood and dreams of adult life to come. Wells’ Kiss Cakes is a sweet, sensory puzzle of vintage love.

The show’s expansive scope means there are some weaker pieces. However, the majority of In Your Dreams is delightful. It’s an excellent starter for those who may be new to contemporary conceptual works, and postcards explaining each work’s inspiration are placed beside the pieces.

It’s also refreshing to see a contemporary exhibition outside downtown Winnipeg. The large, angular space at the Mennonite Heritage Centre is a warm venue for a show that invites you to relax and enjoy the dreams of others.