Critical Writing Index

Rumours of Our Breath

by Len Findlay

Border Crossings, July 1993, v. 12, no. 3, pp. 50-53

A review of the two part exhibition; Corpus I and Corpus II. Curator Bruce Grenville opts to work within the site of the human body, with processes focussed on 'dialogue',

"a term marking engagement with language which he sees as distinguishing much recent work in Canada and elsewhere" (50).

Corpus I comprises 11 post-minimalist artists whose work "marks a return to the body as a site where repetition and minimal change may intersect once again with narrative"(51).

Corpus II highlights the work of 12 artists, particularly feminist women and gay men. The works in Corpus II all incorporate linguistic turns, patriarchal inscriptions, and psychoanalytic concepts.

Together, Corpus 1 and Corpus II reinforce the "continuing commitment Canadian artists have to remaking the body as sensorium and social signifier" (53).

ITEM 1993.150 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Birthday Suit - with Scars and Defects – Lisa Steele

Choreography of the Dotted Line – Theodore Wan

Likers – Suzy Lake

Close Knit – Betty Goodwin

Structure #4 – Robin Collyer

Stigmata Diaboli – Aganetha Dyck

Illustrated Man – Gathie Falk

Souvenirs of the Self – Colette Whiten

Untitled (Mountains near Jasper) – Nicole Jolicoeur

Security Blanket: A Child's Quilt – Rod Steiger

Pale Coffin Quilt – Ruth Scheuing

Body Double – Jinme Yoon

Imago [XII] – Lawren Harris

Excerpts (Nietzsche on Women) – Barbara Todd

Hell – Barbara Todd

Girl – Mina Totino

Mary Scott

Anne Ramsden

Tom Dean

Tom Dean

Robert Flack

Patrick Traer