Alain Paiement
Constellation (squat), 1996
C-print
Courtesy of the artist

Alison Rossiter
History of Art – Janson, 2004
Book photogram (variation) Courtesy of the artist

Millie Chen
Crave, 1994
Installation (detail)
Courtesy of the artist

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller Night Canoeing, 2004 Installation (detail)
Courtesy: Barbara Weiss, Luhring Augustine Gallery and the artists

Janet Werner
Red Hair/Lisa, 1998
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the Mendel Art Gallery

Liz Magor
Banff Chair, 1991
Steel base, soft polyurethane foam, synthetic fur, deerskin gloves
McMaster University Collection
Photo: Isaac Applebaum

Helen Chadwick
Piss Flower (9), 1992 (2006)
bronze, cellulose lacquer
+ 3 APs
Collection of the New Art Centre, Wiltshire, U.K.

Bureau de change, Exhibition

This exhibition celebrates the significance of visual art generated at The Banff Centre from the mid-1970s to the present. With the opening of Glyde Hall and the Walter Phillips in 1976, followed by the Leighton Artists Colony, and the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed building, this period was marked by lively studio activities that grew from plein-air and beaux-art traditions to multidisciplinary approaches in painting, sculpture, papermaking, printmaking, photography, fibre, ceramics, and the newest electronic media. The visual arts programs were groundbreaking in their early support of Canadian aboriginal artists and artists from around the globe, and from its inception the Walter Phillips Gallery has supported advanced projects by notable artists and curators. Contributions from key critics and scholars, as well as the publications program, have been no small part of this legacy. Bureau de change reflects the scope of these activities and reveals key aspects of this remarkable history that has often been at the forefront of innovations and critical debates in international contemporary art.

The exhibition highlights the spirit of inquiry of visual artists who came here for residencies and exhibitions, to exchange ideas, research, think, experiment, and explore new tools. It traces narratives about this particular place – the institution as well as the locale of Banff – interwoven with developments in different aesthetic sensibilities and forms, from discrete objects to interactive environments. The selection of artworks makes links within and between mediums and asserts the importance of experimental mixed media and multidisciplinary approaches.

The formation of ideas and practices that emerged during this time period defies distinct timeframes and singular narratives. For instance, the impulse to insinuate artworks into the viewers’ space evident in the 1970s is transformed into an increasing concern with breaking down spatial boundaries that then led to immersive experiences and art events designed for social interaction. Many works pose questions about galleries - especially Micah Lexier’s quasi-archive installation - and are conceived to be experienced beyond their confines through outdoor sculpture, performance, radio, an audio walk, and the internet.

Organized chronologically, Bureau de change charts developments in contemporary art and draws out multiple narratives that expand to the evolution of critical ideas about feminism, post-colonialism, and identity politics, as well as to the wider social conditions in which these artworks were produced. As the title suggests, this organization of materials is a work in progress for the consideration of networks of exchange and change itself.

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