Sunday, November 14, 2010

Shary Boyle's "Flesh and Blood" at the AGO


I, along with about 200 other people, crowded into the AGO yesterday to hear Shary Boyle talk about her exhibition. When I first saw the exhibition, I was so creeped out I didn't even want to look at it. The only piece I liked was a small porcelain sculpture called "The Bed" (which I unfortunately can't find an image of). It shows three people lying down sleeping in a bed: a woman, a man, and another figure whose head is under the bed sheet. I couldn't stop thinking about who that third person was supposed to be. Since it was shorter than the others, it reminded me of a child, but strange that a child would be in her parents' bed. I also thought it could be a third lover - maybe one of them was having an affair - or they were just the polygamous type. Luckily, I got to ask Shary Boyle about this, briefly. She mentioned that it was like another "you": There are always other you's in your relationships, whether you carry past selves around or future selves.

I also got her to sign my programme and she made a speech bubble for the two boys.

King Cobra

As I've been forced to see this exhibition several times for various reasons, I'm becoming acclimatized to it and starting to like more of the pieces. I really like some of the strange mini sculptures, as well as the life-size white sculpture of a woman which is illuminated by a colour-cut out projection of butterflies and other shapes.

Virus (White Wedding)

However, the scarecrow having sex with the woman made out of tiles still makes me uncomfortable and I really can't look at the glow in the dark woman-spider trapped in her own web.

Scarecrow

The exhibition is on until December 5th, 2010.

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