The Tin Man Was a Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power

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Left: Harold E. Edgerton, Cock Fight 3409," 1934

silver gelatin print, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of Angela and David Feldman, the Menkes Family, Marc and Alex Muzzo, Tory Ross, the Rose Baum-Sommerman Family, Shabin and Nadir MohamedCredit 2: Pieter van Laer, School of, "The Brawl," unknown date, oil on canvas, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Duggan Gray, Montreal, Photo: Rachel Topham, Vancouver Art Gallery

 In light of recent developments and our responsibility to help slow the spread and impact of COVID-19 across our communities, we have decided to close the Gallery to the public effective today, Monday, March 16 at 5:00 pm until further notice. This closure includes all exhibitions, programs, events, rentals, 1931 Gallery Bistro, the Gallery Store and Art Rental and Sales. The Art Auction Gala scheduled for May 30 is postponed.

The Vancouver Art Gallery presents The Tin Man Was a Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power, an exhibition that examines the ways power is constructed, experienced and communicated. The spectacle of physical power and violence has long permeated the visual cultures of Western civilization, and The Tin Man Was a Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power draws on these histories in more than sixty works in diverse media made from the seventeenth century to the present. Comprised primarily of works from the Gallery’s permanent collection, the exhibition focuses on displays of aggression, political theatre and performance of the self.

The aggressive display of power is examined through historical paintings, contemporary photographs and video works that depict or imply physical violence. These are accompanied by paintings, photographs and drawings of individuals posturing in business suits, private school uniforms and military regalia that call attention to how authority has been articulated in historical and contemporary terms. In contrast to the narratives of oppression often associated with images of conquest and virility, the exhibition also presents contemporary drawings and prints by Inuit artists that imply a relationship with nature based on reciprocity rather than domination. In addition, political theatre in the news media is addressed as a powerful vehicle for shaping public discourse. Presented at a time that coincides with presidential and congressional election campaigns in the United States, The Tin Man Was a Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power is a subtle response to this historical moment.

“Physical power, domination and social hierarchy have been enduring themes in visual art since antiquity, and the exhibition’s focus on the dynamics of power is relevant to consider in today’s politically charged climate,” stated Daina Augaitus, Interim Director at the Vancouver Art Gallery. “The Tin Man Was a Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power explores the preoccupation with power through historical and contemporary artworks.”

Featured artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, Marian Penner Bancroft, William Beechey, Claude Breeze, Sorel Cohen, Kate Craig, Rineke Dijkstra, Larry Fink, Robert Frank, Fred Herzog, Micah Lexier, Mark Lewis, Parr, Pablo Picasso, Ruth Scheuing, Jack Shadbolt, Simon Tookoome, Joyce Wieland, Elizabeth Wyn Wood and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun among others.

The Tin Man Was a Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power is organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and curated by Grant Arnold, Audain Curator of British Columbia Art and Mandy Ginson, Assistant Curator.