[BCMA] MEDIA RELEASE: Gift shop where nothing is for sale at Kelowna Art Gallery

Thu Apr 28 15:04:07 PDT 2011

Dear Media Partners,

There is a lot going on at the Kelowna Art Gallery this May! Prior to
the GO Party! event and the Gabor Szilasi show, we are pleased to be
hosting the national debut of a new exhibition by Toronto-based artist:
Barbara Astman: Dancing with Che: Enter through the Gift Shop. The media
release is attached, as well as a few images. The artist will be in
Kelowna May 2-6 and is available for interviews upon request.

This exhibition is timely as we head into the tourist season, as it is
staged as a gift shop - but nothing is for sale!

See below and attached, and please get in touch if interested in
covering this for your arts section.

Cheers, 

KJ

Media Release

For Immediate Release 

Kelowna Art Gallery hosts national debut of a new exhibition by
Toronto-based artist; Barbara Astman: Dancing with Che: Enter through
the Gift Shop

On view May 7-July 31, 2011

April 28, 2011 - Kelowna, BC: A portion of the Kelowna Art Gallery will
be transformed into a faux gift shop for the duration of a new
exhibition by Toronto-based artist Barbara Astman. Barbara Astman:
Dancing with Che: Enter through the Gift Shop makes its national debut
at the Kelowna Art Gallery May 7-July 31, 2011. Key chains, playing
cards, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and other souvenirs featuring the
recognizable face of revolutionary Che Guevara will be on display;
however, viewers may find themselves aggravated and confused when they
discover that none of the merchandise is actually for sale. 

Barbara Astman: Dancing with Che: Enter through the Gift Shop was born
of the artist's fascination with "Che chic"- the vast number of
reproductions of Che's visage on a variety of souvenir items she saw
while on a trip to Cuba. Also in North America, Guevara's face appears
on any number of items which are purchased with pride and displayed as
status symbols, fashion statements, or declarations of political
ideology. The singular image used in this exhibition was taken by the
artist while she was dancing to Latin music and wearing a Che t-shirt.
Astman thus co-opted Che's celebrity and power, making them temporarily
hers. She then emblazoned the image on all of the items she had
fabricated for the installation. 

The sub-title of the exhibition, Enter through the Gift Shop, is a
send-up of the title of the 2010 Banksy film Exit through the Gift Shop.
We are frequently bombarded by opportunities to buy memorabilia when
departing a museum, a big art show, or a concert. In this case, the
artist invites the viewer to enter through the gift shop-but the
exhibition and the gift shop are one in the same. Viewers will likely
experience an overwhelming desire to acquire proof of having actually
seen the installation; it is in our nature as consumers. Barbara Astman:
Dancing with Che: Enter through the Gift Shop will be at the Gallery
during the height of Kelowna's tourist season, when visitors will be
buying souvenirs of their summer vacations. But, no souvenirs will be
available from this exhibition, and it will be interesting to see our
visitors' reactions.

The Barbara Astman: Dancing with Che: Enter through the Gift Shop opens
to the public on May 7, 2011 and will be on view through July 31, 2011.
The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street, in the heart of
the Cultural District in Downtown Kelowna. For hours of operation,
public programs, or more information about current exhibitions, visit
the Kelowna Art Gallery online at www.kelownaartgallery.com
<http://www.kelownaartgallery.com/> . 

- 30 -

For more information, for images, or to arrange an interview, please
contact: 

Kris Johnson, Marketing and Events Coordinator

Kelowna Art Gallery

W 250.762.2226 ext. 305 

kris at kelownaartgallery.com

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