Lindsay Arnold: Tedium
to
Art Gallery of Regina 2420 Elphinstone St, Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan S4T 3N9
courtesy of artist
Lindsay Arnold, "Wearing," 2018
acrylic on panel, 24" x 18"
December 14 to February 22
Reception and talk: February 13, 7 - 9 pm
Lacy doilies interact with scissors, pins and other tools associated with women’s traditional handwork in Lindsay Arnold’s trompe l’oeil style paintings. Created through a process of detailed and repetitive paint applications the paintings in Tedium bring attention to the tedious labour of making crocheted doilies— and by extension all domestic labour traditionally performed by women. By repeating the laborious process through painting Arnold is acknowledging the doily maker’s experiences, recognizing the undervalued repetitive labour, and revealing a part of the anonymous doily maker's story. Many of the doilies in Arnold’s paintings are stretched, torn, and misshapen, creating a metaphor for the life experience of the women who created these objects.
Tedium also includes sculptural works comprised of Arnold’s collected vintage doilies and a stop motion animation Table Dance. Reminiscent of small-town socials Table Dance celebrates the handwork made by women in the mid to late 20th century. Over 160 doilies take to the dance floor, shaking off their matronly reputations to prove age is no barrier to having a good time.