"Crated" : An Exhibition by Pascale Ouellet
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Okotoks Art Gallery | At the Station 53 North Railway St (PO Box 20), Okotoks, Alberta T1S 1K1
January 9 - February 27
"Crated" seeks to prod at the relationship that exists between consumers and farm animals, and encourages the viewer to take stock of both individual animals and the everyday objects that mediate our interactions with them. Through works created using encaustic, acrylic, and silkscreen techniques, the exhibit will employ bold, large-scale images and multiplication to herd these animals into the viewer's consciousness.
Ouellet’s works encourage the viewer to step into a realm of discomfort by asking them to confront the reality of our everyday interactions and relationships with these animals. For example, confronted with a hyper realistic encaustic painting of a cow, the viewers find themselves looking eye-to-eye with the animal. This intense encounter is contrary to our daily interactions with livestock, particularly for urban consumers who are far removed from the animals that supply food and consumer goods. Our interactions with these animals are typically mediated by industrial processes and packaging that enables us to dismiss the fact that these animals are living creatures – indeed, we have come to connect our milk more with the plastic milk crates in which it is delivered than the actual cows who provide it.
The official opening will take place on January 23, 2016, with the artist in attendance between 1:00pm and 3:00pm.