CALGARY, Sept. 19, 2014 /CNW/ - Artists from the Canadian Forces Artists Program provide insights from contemporary conflict zones.
Compelled by narratives of genocide, the traumatic legacy of colonialism, and the War on Terror, the works in Terms of Engagement offer an encounter and provocative engagement with Canada's international role as a nation of warriors and peacekeepers.
The Canadian Forces Artists Program (CFAP) was launched in 2001 to embed artists alongside Canadian troops. The exhibition Terms of Engagement: Averns, feldman-kiss, Stimson presents work by three artists who have recently been deployed to conflict zones as CFAP participants. The Multinational Force and Observers at North Base, Sinai, Egypt hosted Dick Averns during 2009, nichola feldman-kiss was embedded with the United Nations Mission in Sudan in 2011, and Adrian Stimson was stationed at Forward Operating Base Ma'sum Ghar and Kandahar in Afghanistan in 2010.
Working across the mediums of photography, video, sculpture and installation, the works in the exhibition reflect CFAP's arm's-length relationship with the military, which allows for greater independence of artistic expression. As curator Christine Conley explains, the artists "are all conscious of the complex relation of culture to conflict, given their situation as embedded observers whose access to war zones depends upon military hospitality, protection and social networks."
Complimentary to the exhibition are curatorial tours, artists' talks, and contextual educational programming. Highlights include an exhibition tour with curator Christine Conley September 27, and a panel discussion with curator and artists November 15.
Admission to the exhibition and programs at Esker Foundation are free of charge.
Visit www.eskerfoundation.com/program/current/ for more programs and to register.
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre in partnership with MSVU Art Gallery, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, and the Esker Foundation, Calgary have organized the exhibition. A forthcoming publication with essays by the curator and Kirsty Robertson accompanies the exhibition.
Exhibition website: www.termsofengagement.ca
Participating Artists - Dick Averns, nichola feldman-kiss and Adrian Stimson
Image with caption: "Adrian Stimson, Bomb Dog, 2011 (detail). Photo: John Dean (CNW Group/Esker Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140919_C9354_PHOTO_EN_42819.jpg
SOURCE: Esker Foundation
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