The legacies, predicaments and vexations of modernism have been central to the work of Vancouver-based artist Rodney Graham since the 1970s. Drawing upon sources that range from Pablo Picasso and Sigmund Freud to John Cage and Kurt Cobain, Graham synthesizes formal rigour, melancholy and humour to produce art that is both captivating and paradoxical. This exhibition will present several recent works in film and photography that allude to moments in the history of Modernism, including the role of the avant garde in 19th century French painting, the idiosyncratic character of humour in Canadian literature and the culture of the snap shot in the mid-twentieth century.
Organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and curated by Grant Arnold, Audain Curator of British Columbia Art.
