3550 rue St-Antoine Ouest
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January 13 – February 19, 2011
By Jessica Surendorff
What drew me in was the little skeleton-head painted on the middle finger.
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| Courtesy Parisian Laundry |
Made primarily from found objects, Valérie Blass's sculpture Femme panier was the first image on the Parisian Laundry homepage. That was enough to get me off the computer, out of the apartment and on the Metro in 15 minutes.
I somehow always manage to visit an exhibition when the gallery is empty (or close to empty). This is perfect, as I have the space all to myself and I can be as greedy as I want. The interior of Parisian Laundry has a mixed feeling of being industrial and homely. Industrial in the sense that this building has been gutted and refitted, with a gloss-concrete floor; and homely in the way the sturdy wooden support beams remind me of a cozy ski cabin. The space, which is run by Jeanie Riddle and Dacil Kurzweg, seems ideal for the collection; as the collage, found object and mixed-media creations of Valérie Blass fit right in. Actually, one should not use the words "fit right in" in regards to Ms. Blass' work, so it is probably better to say "fit right out."
My greedy solitude is interrupted by another patron of the gallery, whose squeaky shoes snap me out of day-dream. For me, this exhibition is a bit of a treat as I am a sucker for thrift stores and other places where you can find curious things. I am soon left alone again, however, as the other visitor squeaks his way up to the second floor of the building. I can see Femme panier in the centre of the gallery, like a sun surrounded by a cosmos of weird sculptures. I exercise some self control and refrain from going to it first.
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| Photo Jessica Surendorff |
I stop myself at the first sculpture, which is essentially a crane. The sculpture itself is simple enough, made from wood and paint, but the concept behind it is what makes it complex. Little red bricks have been painted onto the crane, which makes me think of the process of building or creating. The crane is used for construction, and bricks are used to make the building. But, this crane is made from bricks so what was used to make this crane? Another crane? I like this sculpture, with its 'chicken and egg' theory. The sculpture La somme en rondelette is displayed on a pedestal that has been covered with a woven checkered textile, which echoes the pattern of the brickwork painted onto the sculpture. I realize I have maybe been staring a little too hard at the tiny crisscross patterns, as I feel like I have been staring into something like a 3D illusion… (It's a telephone… no! It's a bicycle!)
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| Courtesy Parisian Laundry |
I notice a considerable number of blank spaces on the wall, along with the tell-tale red dots, so it's obvious that Ms. Blass has an immense fan base. What is left is still very impressive. There is a consistency in the composition of these pieces, in that Ms. Blass has used various photos of her sculptures and placed different parts to create a new artwork. For many of the photo-collages Ms. Blass has used an image of her own sculpture She was a big success: a strange hybrid of the lower half of a mannequin awkwardly balancing on one hand (the other arm is missing), and the head and torso having been replaced by a giant mass of black hair. (Almost like the top half of this one-armed woman has been engulfed by an enormous judge's wig).
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| Courtesy Parisian Laundry |
Unfortunately, She was a big success was not at Parisian Laundry at the time. Because of the sculpture's unique silhouette it is easily recognized in the collages, and I understand why Ms. Blass has chosen to re-use this particular sculpture in other works as it is quite a powerful image. Ms. Blass has re-made the photo by replacing the mass of black hair with other sections of photographs. In particular, in Collage 4 the photograph used to fill the cumulus-nimbus space is that of a woman's torso. Displayed next to this is Collage 5 where the torso now has been replaced by a photograph of a woman's legs. I like what she has done, which is in keeping with her style of recycling, remaking and reusing objects and art (even her own art).
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| Photo by Jessica Surendorff |
Another piece that incorporates disembodied parts is Cargo Culte which reminds me of a creepy child's mobile made from wood-working clamps, plaster hands and ready-made objects (like an ashtray and cigar). There are six hand that protrude from it. One of the hands holds a figure of a topless woman; dangling precariously by her head from two fingers. On the same axis, but at the opposite end lies the empty ashtray. It is only natural that a hand holding a cigar has been placed above the ashtray; but what if the some of the cigar ash were to fall below? Would this upset the equilibrium and cause the little topless woman to be choked, or perhaps fall? Amongst the clamps and the hands are two hiking canes; both inscribed in German. Like the other sculptures in this collection, Cargo Culte has been displayed upon a podium covered with a woven textile. Taking in all the elements of this sculpture, I begin to see a common theme between the objects: hands, clamps, hiking canes…they all provide grip. These various found objects convey different types of 'grip'; whether it is the delicate way one holds a cigar or the sure-fast grip of a clamp.
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| Courtesy Parisian Laundry |
Femme planche dominates the space with its size and design. Created from Styrofoam, paint and pottery, the sculpture, made from wood is of a woman in an awkward position (think downward-facing dog-like). This wooden woman, like so many of Ms. Blass' female representations, has no face - just a 'head' made from pieces of pottery. To finish off the piece in a cheeky manner, a large shovel has been placed along the length of the legs, with the head of the shovel resting on the woman's derriere. There is something organic looking about this piece; as if this yoga-practicing wood woman has grown out of the earth only to attempt to bury her head back into the ground.
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| Courtesy Parisian Laundry |
I cannot ignore Femme panier any longer as it placed next to to Femme planche. The first thing I notice is that this sculpture is unlike the others in the collection, as it has not been displayed on woven fabric but just a teal-painted podium. I realize that this is probably the case because femme panier consists of so many different textures and patterns, that it would have been far too 'busy'. I really like this piece because it is just so "Please don't tell me you are seriously wearing that shirt with those pants". The sculpture is of a female figure made from a mannequin with a wicker basket for a torso (hence the name of the sculpture). The figure is dressed in a very loud blouse; which looks like someone has been rolling in cupcake icing. This blouse has been teamed up with some fishnet stockings. It's as if this basket-case woman got dressed in the dark. (A more likely reason for this combination is probably the woman's lack of a head). The posture of this figure is powerful; arms stretched out, with one hand brandishing a sharp tool. The other hand is empty, formed almost into a fist and painted black with a little skeleton detail to finish it off. I find this piece bold with touches of humor; and rather powerful in the sense the posture reminds me of an Olympic discus thrower.
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| Courtesy Parisian Laundry |
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| Photo by Jessica Surendorff |
The collection continues upstairs, with a number of Ms. Blass' collages on display as well as some more of her quirky sculptures. Some work that I am instantly drawn to is a set of grumpy looking gargoyle heads. Petite tete en gris souris are two clay-made busts with a high gloss finish, which showcase Blass' talent in pottery. Although I initially went to this collection to see Femme panier, this sculpture is my favorite. I am quite impressed at how well Ms. Blass can work in various mediums; at it seems like art making in any form comes naturally to her. Ms. Blass' sculptures and collages at Parisian Laundry are disjointed in their composition, with a strong theme of fractured figures, and broken and recycled objects. The amusing way that Ms. Blass has placed together her found objects, thrift-store treasures and sculptures makes this collection even more enjoyable.
