Last Thursday saw the 38th Visual Arts Mississauga Juried Show of Fine Arts. Tucked away in the corner of Mississauga City Hall, at first one could miss the Art Gallery of Mississauga completely, but once found it certainly is unforgettable.
The AGM is public and not-for-profit; anyone is free to explore the gallery and all it has to offer. The place was packed with friends, family, and even art connoisseurs. They gathered to marvel at the jury’s selections and supported local artists by purchasing the art and celebrating the work.
First place was awarded to Grazyna Adamska-Jarecka with her painting Poised and Unbalanced. Second place was given to Margaret Stawicki’s Journey 8 and third place, possibly the most memorable, was Susan Ross’s Halley’s Comet because of its abstract use of many vibrant colours. The oil paint came together to even show multiple layers of texture and colour on the canvas.
However, one of the most interesting pieces there was the unique video piece by Nahed Mansour called Sattelite Telefizyoon. The piece is a compilation of clips from an Egyptian game show called Fawazeer, which is held during Ramadan. It showed an actress in various cultural garments engaging in different dances in each segment. Quotes were presented with the video, proposing that while everyone is different, women of the world form a sisterhood. This piece serves to discuss Egyptian media representations of women and the modernity of women. Sattelite Telefizyoon won the AGM’s Curator Award.
Jorge Luis Ballart’s Holes leaves a lot up to interpretation. It depicts an armoured tank with a golf club in lieu of its cannon. There is no one way to interpret this piece; whether it presents war as a game or simply the absurdity of armed combat is open to debate. Other interesting pieces include Antonio Caballero’s Just Married piece. This was a side profile of a TTC bus with wood, plastic, and plexi-glass. While very entertaining to look at, it also provided a sense of locality by using a symbol of the GTA. One could assume that the symbolism between the words “Just Married” and the TTC bus could imply that a vehicle larger than a stretch limousine is required. With the bus adorned with balloons and cans dragging off the back as if for a wedding, this piece could also be about commitment to being a citizen as something to celebrate.
The 38th VAM Juried Show of Fine Arts runs until February 13.
