Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is pleased to present the opening reception of Yesterday Was Once Tomorrow (or, A Brick is a Tool) on Friday, February 6, 2014 at 7PM. The opening will feature a performance by BUNNY, the 90s cover band Ukulele Duo.

Yesterday was Once Tomorrow (or, A Brick is a Tool)
Magazines by Artists in Canada during the 1990s 

Magazines: Texts (Calgary, 1989 – 1993) Flower (Toronto, 1992 – 1996) Boo (Vancouver, 1994 – 1998), The Harold (Winnipeg, 1995 – 1997), and Cube (Montreal, 1996 – 1998).
Artists: Shary Boyle, Geoffrey Farmer, GB Jones, Jake Kosciuk, Eli Langer, Denis Lessard, John Massey, Kathy Slade and Lori Weidenhammer
Graphics: Charles Cousins, Kristine Friedman, Carl Skelton and Annie Martin

Click here to see a video for Yesterday was Once Tomorrow. 

Yesterday Was Once Tomorrow (or, A Brick is a Tool), curated by Kegan McFadden, is an exhibition of Canadian art magazines, focusing on publications that were both established and terminated in the 1990s. The exhibition presents an archive of these magazines showing original copies as well as graphic reproductions that line Plug In ICA’s walls and includes a selection of artwork gathered from public and private collections formerly featured in the magazines. Two commissioned pieces will be presented – a take-away poster by Charles Cousin and a work in dedication to Kathy Acker by Geoffrey Farmer. The exhibition will be animated through a series of talks, responses, performances and workshops, including a performative lecture by cultural theorist Jeanne Randolph and a presentation on The Serving Library by American writer and artist Angie Keefer.

McFadden states, “These magazines found their ways through prison cells, had international correspondents, dealt with issues on the local levels, and even published book reviews by the baby sitter. They are an archive of activity through the most humble of means. Rather than predict the future or focus on the past, they dissected the present. The editors of these magazine reconsidered what was worthy of print, what was important to publish, and how to go about making information accessible to their communities” (For a curatorial overview by McFadden please see our website).

This presentation of Yesterday Was Once Tomorrow (or, A Brick is a Tool) is the first of a touring exhibition that uses these magazines as the ground to examine art and publishing in general. A future incarnation will be presented at Artexte, Montreal.  Winnipeg artist and designer Susan Chafe assisted with the production and exhibition design.

An interdisciplinary writer / curator / artist, Kegan McFadden has organized exhibitions for artist-run, university, and public galleries throughout Canada over the last decade.  Often focusing his projects on themes such as melancholy, exploratory research, recent histories, and artist publishing, McFadden’s curatorial prowess has garnered support from the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts as well as a Major Arts Award from the Manitoba Arts Council.

Related Programs: 

Yesterday was Once Tomorrow (or, A Brick is a Tool) | Curated by Kegan McFadden