In eight illustrated books, elegantly held together in a single beribboned case, McSweeney's Issue 28 explores the state of the fable. For the next two days, it's $5 off. - - - - |
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- - - - SECTION: Arts & Life; Pg. AL5 LENGTH: 899 words HEADLINE: Art group leaves New York in the dust: Winnipeg's Royal Art Lodge scores a coup in Big Apple SOURCE: National Post BYLINE: Sarah Lazarovic BODY: A typical Wednesday night at the Royal Art Lodge's Winnipeg studio might comprise art-making, music playing or just a casual gathering of friends. But last Wednesday night, the members of Canada's anointed art collective of cool were watching a video of their performance at the Saturday opening of their New York City show, Ask the Dust. "Myles was inside a platypus costume. We took drawings from our to-be-destroyed suitcase and people fed the drawings to the platypus, who shredded them. Marcel was in a bear suit, helping along," said Michael Dumontier, describing the staged performance at The Drawing Center in Soho. "People kind of made awkward faces as they shredded them," said Marcel Dzama. "A couple of people just took them and left." The group's first collective show in New York is a coup, to say the least. There's a critical mass of hip, young art collectives jockeying for square footage on gallery floors in the city, and compared to the crammed walls at John Connelly Presents, a tiny Chelsea gallery showing works by collectives Dearraindrop and PFFR, the real estate granted the Lodgers is downright palatial. But despite prodding questions about the allure of fame in New York's art world, the Royal Art Lodge is not having any of it. Formed six years ago, the group has been crafting art, puppets, videos, music and mayhem every Wednesday night. And though members have gone on to solo careers and garnered individual recognition, it would seem they see no reason to mess with a beautiful thing. It was a first trip to New York for many of the members of the Royal Art Lodge, who are Dumontier, Marcel Dzama, Hollie Dzama, Neil Farber, Drue Langlois, Myles Langlois, and former members Adrian Williams and Jon Pylypchuk. Myles Langlois, who had never been to New York, enjoyed it but had little time to take in shows, saying he doesn't derive much influence from galleries anyway. "Drue really influences what I do," he said. "He works harder than anyone I know." Moreover, while they collectively agree that it's nice to achieve outside recognition, their earnestness about why they make art is refreshing. "We're still doing the same things. It's nice to get attention for your work, but that can't be the goal," said Langlois. "It has to be that you really enjoy what you 're doing." Of course, a group that so enjoys its eccentricity, privacy and solitary work environment is bound, upon achieving success, to perceive the weird world of New York art through rather uncompromised eyes. "Someone wanted to buy the entire show, but some of that stuff is personal, so that was kind of funny," said Dzama. "We thought it was the devil, and that it was our test to see if we'd sell out." The group is fairly coolheaded about parting with their work, a logical consequence of success. "It's kind of nice doing not-for-profit shows, because that way you get your work back," said Dzama. "But sometimes you do profit, and it's good 'cause you never want to see them again." The show itself is a well-curated selection of the RAL's collaborative drawings and individual works. There are large swaths of wall covered in the group drawings, dated over a period of years, that illustrate the Lodge's penchant for adorning their drawings with collage, felt and transparency sheets. Ask the Dust also traces their evolution from young, Manitoba art-school graduates to their present maturity as a sort of pen-and-ink orchestra. The show ably demonstrates how a group of artists have so influenced one another to excellent effect. The hand-sewn dolls by Dumontier, and Drue Langlois ' music side-project Eyeball Hurts the Medicine, are delicately crafted and have little tags that give their names and phrases. One doll is named Limonite. Another's quotation reads, "This bird steals feathers from other birds and glues them over his feathers." Ask The Dust also conveys a uniformly terrific odd-sensibility, but one that isn't merely slapdash or young and unchecked. On one of the collaborative drawings, a typewritten note on an ageing piece of paper reads: Dear Drue, I understand that you've been not a help but a hindrance.* *Opposite of help. Sincerely, Michael B. Dumontier. November 27, 1999. The Royal Art Lodge is at the forefront of a group of Canadian independent artists nonchalantly bringing their acts south of the border. Marcel Dzama mentions Toronto writer Sheila Heti, who, like himself, has been championed by the stylish literary magazine McSweeney's. In February, the magazine's publishing arm will release a book of reproductions of Dzama's sketchbook and drawings. Three thousand such books will be printed, and 100 of them will be stuffed with a free drawing. And in May, Dzama will present a collection of his work at the Whitney Museum, another McSweeney's effort that will include a performance by former Talking Head David Byrne. "It's supposed to be a slide presentation, but I get nervous presenting my work, so I may do a puppet show," Dzama said. The Royal Art Lodge will continue to travel as a pack, performing next at The Power Plant in Toronto at the end of March and then in Middleburg, Holland. Myles Langlois is particularly excited about the show being presented in a small town like Middleburg. "The curator worried we wouldn't be excited about it, but I told him I really like small towns, because I'm quiet too." GRAPHIC: Black & White Photo: One of the collective drawings of the Royal Art Lodge, displaying the group's odd sensibility. LOAD-DATE: January 29, 2003 - - - -
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