Editor's note: Story contains language some might find inappropriate.
The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum introduced two new exhibits on Sept. 6.
Gallery I features "Bullshit" by Jamie Reynolds, while Gallery II invites guests to dive into Archive Retrospective, curated by Kohen Shauf. Both collections will be on display until Nov. 8.
"Bullshit"
Regina-based artist Reynolds explained the name and the content of the exhibition.
"Have you ever visited any of Saskatchewan's provincial or national parks? Pristine packets of perfectly-preserved, picture-perfect parkland," says Reynolds in the author statement.
"The first time I visited the west block of Grasslands National Park, we had driven to the top of a road that overlooked the area for a full panoramic view. The sun was shining through the clouds, creating visible, heavenly beams of light that highlighted the valley in a suitably dramatic way.
"The raw quartz crystals litter the ground, sparkling like nature's disco balls. The rolling hills and rainbow-striped bluffs, carved into the Earth millennia ago by giant glaciers, slowly sculpting their legacy as they crept over the sleeping land. Picture the morning dew. Rising, as an almost magical mist, leaving the world fresh and damp and cool. Maybe there was even a majestic eagle flying overhead, screeching its regal approval. KAWW!
"This is (more or less) the view that greeted me at the top of this road. My spirit full of awe. My heart full of wonder. My eyes full of tears, overcome by sheer natural beauty. My foot full of… the cow shit I just stepped in.
"Yeah, the moment is over.
"Since this visit to the park, I have been on a years-long journey to discover, 'What's up with the poop in the parks?'
"The more I went into the rabbit hole (poop chute?) of research about ecology, biology, preservation versus conservation, the history of the parks and Crown land, the history of the land itself, and the plants and animals that live (and don't live) on it, the more I started to think to myself, 'Well, this is bullshit.' And then, 'I wonder if other people know about this?'
"Inspired by my incredibly creative children, (who thought it would be funny to take multiple photos of cow poop in the grass when I asked them to 'take pictures of anything interesting they saw – they were right, it was funny), this show was developed as my contribution to the conversation about reconciliation and the environment.
"It's about finding beauty in disgust, and how what we think of as naturalism is more artificial than we might expect. But mostly, it's because filling the sterile, white-walled gallery space (the penultimate expression of Western Colonialist art ideals) with literal shit is the kind of irony that I find personally hilarious," Reynolds said.
Archive Retrospective
Gallery II features pieces from the EAGM's collection.
Twenty selections of art created by 15 talented artists were hand-picked from the EAGM's archive room by summer student Kohen Shauf. This curated selection includes works from eight artists featured in the archives catalogue, however, it also features pieces from four additional artists whose work is located in the archive room, but not included in the catalogue.
The archives catalogue was written, compiled and designed by Shauf. This exhibition was created from the Archive 2024 Summer Project, during which Shauf found a handful of local artists in the archives, and researched the artists and their artworks. Not only was the archive project established in order to pay homage to talented local artists that the EAGM has in its collection, but it also aims to spotlight some of their work. Kohen selected some of his favourites to display for people to see.
Artists featured in the catalogue and exhibition include Michael Lonechild, Ernest Lindner, Gregory Hardy, Robert Hurley, Lindsay Arnold, Corrine-Trebick Gibson, Cheryl Andrist and Alana Moore. Along with these artists, Ken Dalgarno, Victor Cicansky and Bette Lemke are also featured in the catalogue, which shares information about the artists themselves and their lives and achievements, some of their archived works, as well as their inspirations and themes throughout their artwork.
In addition to the artists inside of the catalogue, Susan Unger, Betty Sherman, Pia Terhart and Eileen Egerton Lampard are the other artists selected specifically for this exhibition.
The pieces in this exhibition explore a variety of themes, mediums and sizes. The assortment of paintings and drawings range from 14 to 68 years old, and since being stored, many have yet to be viewed by the public again. Themes from some of the artworks include that of Indigenous cultures, landscapes, farmland, femininity, animals and more.
