Lifestyle change by Philip Willey.

Photo by Sandie Ross Dixon

 It’s not easy being an art writer. One downside of writing art reviews is that artists expect you to write about them whether their work interests you or not. Some of them think you have an obligation to do it. No matter you may only write the occasional art review for your own amusement or you may not be in the mood for writing. Maybe the work just doesn’t excite you. You can’t ever say that of course. Artists have friends who comb through reviews looking for the slightest hint of negativity. They may not actually write reviews themselves but boy can they fire off a sharp retort.

Then there’s the question of personal safety. Lately I’ve been having nightmares in which I’m pursued through Victoria by angry flower painters and performance artists from Azerbaijan (wonderful country, lovely people). I get cornered by ferocious Lady Gaga lookalikes or confronted outside galleries by chanting crowds of overlooked artists. Some with placards saying things like ‘What about my work!!’ and ‘Who do you think you are anyway?’ It’s a dangerous business.

Thus it was with some trepidation that I approached the Ministry of Casual Living where Christine Clark has an installation (Christine writes for exhibit-v so there’s the incest problem too). How should I tackle this? Should I go for something along the lines of Adorno [1], using Warhol references and puns about pop cans? Or should I use the TMZ [2] approach?

Let’s look at the facts on the ground. Christine obviously enjoys a beer I thought. Or she did. Maybe she just enjoys cutting up cans. Hard to be sure. Is her installation a serious statement about the existential condition? Is there an environmental angle here or is she just doing a bit of creative recycling? I decide to play it safe and ask.

‘What should I write?’ I ask. She smiles. She knows the score. ‘Well, there is a concept.’ Turns out she quit drinking about a year ago. Cutting up beer cans was a repetitive occupation that helped her off the booze. Simultaneously meditative and obsessive. We discuss the actual work…the aluminum discs strewn on the floor. A kind of therapy then I suggest. Yes she muses, but now I eat cookies. I’m reminded of when I quit smoking and started eating wine-gums.

The discs look aesthetically pleasing and they suit the small space. Like a pool below a waterfall. Simple but strangely touching. I decide to leave it at that. Perhaps somebody else can dig a little deeper. It was windy on Haultain Street but the cherry trees are starting to blossom. I thought about Japan.

[1] Adorno, Theodor.  Philosopher, art critic and theorist best known for his critique of cultural manipulation.

[2] TMZ. Mildly entertaining Hollywood gossip show. Good place to watch people like Elton John and Miley Cyrus losing it with paparazzi.

A year's worth of beer cans

March 11 to 19, 2011

1442 Haultain St.

Ministry Of Casual Living