Space and Time at Clint Roenisch

You've got to hand it to Clint Roenisch. In the lull before his next opening of new work in April -- the stuff of which survival in this business is made -- by the affably enigmatic painter Chris Cran, from Calgary, he  cobbles together a selection of disparate works from an eclectic range of gallery artists that gives the casual wanderer-by  pause for a look see.

In 'Part One Is About Time, Part Two Is About Space' (I should hire Clint to rewrite my woeful headlines, I think), Roenisch assembles work from accomplished Montreal painter Harold Klunder (a huge, primal, chaotic piece that spans the entire wall of the gallery's front space; that's it above, with a Brett Lund sculpture in the foreground), Quebecois installationist/performer Massimo Guerrera, photographer Roger Ballen and the aforementioned Cran, whose contribution to the show, one of his signature oblique portraits, is at right.  

We'll leave discussion of Cran for the moment, as his much larger show is on the horizon; ditto Ballen, whose disturbing work in the backwoods of Afrikaaner South Africa evokes some of the worst of Shelby Lee Adams --  but chillingly and polemically, in a much more authentic way (Ballen is lecturing at OCAD on April 8, in conjunction with an exhibition of new work, currently on at the school's Professional Gallery). 

So let's wait, for the moment at least, andjust do what Roenisch is doing with this cluster: pass some in-between time with some great work, and enjoy.

Comments

[Erin Thurlow]

Murray,
Love your column. Please come see my show "conceptual furniture" at new gallery the DepArtment.
-Erin Thurlow

www.conceptual.furniture.erinthurlow.com