Plug In ICA’s STAGES biennial 2019 (August 16 to September 08, 2019, 2019)
featured artists:
FASTWÜRMS (Kim Kozzi and Dai Skuse)
curated by Jenifer Papararo
This was the second iteration of the STAGES biennial presented by Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art. This year’s exhibition built on the previous edition in its presentation of temporary public sculpture, installation and performances throughout Winnipeg, but 2019 had an expanded range and included the remounting of an historic artwork. The biennial commissioned seven artworks that took place across the city and its outskirts in abandoned industrial sites, apartment buildings, malls, municipal parks and parking lots.
Opening Location:
AUGUST 16 – STAGES LAUNCH PARTY 7pm-11pm Maison Chaboillez, East side of Fort Gibraltar 866 Rue Saint Joseph. Whittier Park.
Artist’s Locations:
RAYMOND BOISJOLY: 4 Locations: a. Broadway & Main Street; b. Memorial Avenue and Colony Street; c. 78 Lusted Avenue; Mayfair & Stradbrook Avenue. Hours: 24 hours access. Additional information: Various sites; Wheelchair accessible
DANIEL BUREN: Location: 11 Evergreen Place, Evergreen Towers. Open hours: showroom open from 12 – 6pm, 7 days a week during STAGES from Aug 17 to September 8, 2019. Wheelchair accessible.
FASTWURMS: Location: In the garden of 90 Annabella Street, Winnipeg Performance Date: August 22, 2019 from 12pm to 12 am. Additional information: Wheelchair accessible; portage washroom on site; food was served and drinks purchased.
KENNETH LAVALLEE: Location: The Winnipeg Sky Walk between Portage Place Mall and The Bay, 393 Portage Ave. Hours: Mon-Wed 10 AM – 6 PM; Thu-Fri 10 AM – 9 PM; Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM; Sunday 12 PM – 5 PM. Additional information: Site was accessed from Portage Place Mall or The Bay; wheelchair access from both locations; public washrooms near site.
JOAR NANGO: Location: Whittier Park, East side of Fort Gibraltar – 866 Rue Saint Joseph. Hours: 24 hour access. Additional information: Installation site is behind Maison Chazboillez in Whittier Park; unpaved pathway; public washrooms on-site.
SILKE OTTO-KNAPP: Location: 400 Portage Ave. Hours: 24 hours access Additional information: Wheelchair accessible
ANDREA ROBERTS: Location: British-American Cement Plant (Sturgeon Road, RM of Rosser) Hours: 24 hours Additional information: British-American Cement Plant is located on Sturgeon Road between Park Royale Way and Prairie Dog Trail in the RM of Rosser. It is a 25 min drive from downtown Winnipeg. Exact coordinates are 49°57’04.7″N x 97°16’35.6″W. Unpaved pathway.
STAGES biennial Mobile App included maps of each artwork and event notifications. Search: PlugInICA at the App Store (available August 9, 2019)
All the artworks were studied, situated in a visual history of art, but with attempts to break or re-establish those traditional codes. For example, Kenneth Lavallee used local customary craft to create a massive visual colour field in one of the city’s common pedestrian skyways, and Silke Otto-Knapp transformed dense and laboured paintings into a mammoth degradable poster-wall, while Andrea Roberts inscribed a text from 550 BCE on to industrial waste. Each of these instances grabbed from historical processes and sources, reframing them within a contemporary context to re-interpret, critique or revitalize their references.
Some of the artworks in STAGES were presented in order to redefine its own worth. Like Raymond Boisjoly who brought insular and philosophical art discourse into the street, or Daniel Buren who upended the economy of an artist’s labour and value by offering his artwork as common wallpaper at discount prices. Joar Nango gave name and weight to an aesthetics and labour that is often overlooked, reframing common building practices as a discernible methodology. Here, and with the work of FASTWÜRMS who choreographed elaborate rituals to capture their process of production, the importance of the final product was paralleled with its process.
STAGES 2019 was generously supported by:
Presenting Sponsor | The Winnipeg Foundation
Featured Artist Sponsor | Michael Nesbitt
Major Sponsors | Daniel Friedman & Rob Dalgliesh; James & Leney Richardson
Engaging Sponsors | Susan Glass & Arni Thorsteinson, DIALOG design, BLDG architecture office inc.
Supporting Sponsors | The French Embassy, Toronto; Downtown Biz
STAGES would not be possible with our Community Partners: the Alt Hotel, Alliance Francaise, Duke of Kent Legion, Martha Street Studio, Winnipeg Tourism, Studio 393, Lewyc ICA, Leon A Brown Ltd, Shelter Canadian Properties Ltd, Trotzdem Inc., Winnipeg Art Gallery, Festival de Voyageur and X-cues.
Acknowledgements
Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art recognizes we are in the territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Métis, and Oji-Cree Nations. Plug In ICA is situated in Treaty 1 territory, the ancestral and traditional homeland of Anishinaabe peoples. Treaty 1, was signed in 1871, taking this territory from seven local Anishinaabe First Nations in order to make the land available for settler use and ownership. (referenced from the University of Winnipeg)
Plug In ICA extends our heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors, valued members, and dedicated volunteers. We acknowledge the sustaining support of our Director’s Circle. You all make a difference.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council, the Manitoba Arts Council and Winnipeg Arts Council. We could not operate without their continued financial investment and lobbying efforts.
Plug In ICA relies on community support to remain free and accessible to all, and enable us to continue to present excellent programs. Please consider becoming a member of Plug In ICA and a donor at https://plugin.org/support
For more information on this program and STAGES biennial, please contact: info@plugin.org or call 1.204.942.1043
