In the middle of the PNE fairgrounds, just
southwest of the Monster Truck rides and slightly east of the agriculture
barns, lies an art installation created from aging railway containers
inspired by a similar project launched in Bergamo, Italy in 2005.
And standing Wednesday in the middle of the
plaza that hosts the ContainerArt exhibit, was its creator Peter
Male. While Male's official job title is vice-president of sales
for the PNE, his passion for the project makes him better suited
for the title of artistic director or curator.
"It's like a contemporary museum in
the middle of the fair," said Male, who also helps coordinate
the layout of the PNE. "I want people to be able to step out
of the fair and come here and enjoy the art."
The exhibit includes displays by eight local artists using a variety
of artistic media, including oil painting, photography, glasswork
and neon. Each artist has displayed their work and created their
own mini installation within a container. Male said the only stipulation
was they couldn't alter or damage the containers with nails or screws.
He wasn't happy to simply display the eight containers and instead
created an abstract installation that includes 18 containers, music,
a plaza and a water feature made from old brass instruments.
At night the exhibit features projected images
on two white walls and four search lights that scan the sky.
The exhibit is the Canadian debut of ContainerArt,
created in partnership with Italian curator Ronald Lewis Facchinetti,
who has worked with artists in New York, Milan, Jerusalem and Sao
Paolo. While Facchinetti created the concept, each group hosting
the exhibit must bring in local artists so no two displays are the
same.
Male said while he could have come up with
his own idea for an exhibit, Facchinetti's work with ContainerArt.org
inspired him so much that he pursued the opportunity to collaborate
with him. Facchinetti flew out to Vancouver earlier this week to
see the PNE exhibit. "I saw it as a chance to build bridges
between the artists in Italy and artists here," said Male.
"Now their work is on an Italian website for the world to see."
Male said the project, which costs $75,000,
wouldn't have been possible without a recent grant of $1.4 million
to the PNE from the federal government. In past years, due to budget
cuts, art at the fair had essentially disappeared, and even before
the July funding announcement Male was hoping to bring art back
as an annual feature of the PNE.
"After the money was granted I only
had five weeks to pull this together," said Male. "I contacted
Valerie Overgaard at the [Alliance for Arts and Culture] and asked
her to help me find some artists. The artists worked so hard to
get their displays ready on time. It was a mutual effort and this
has turned out to be the most wonderful experience."
sthomas@vancourier.com
© Vancouver Courier 2009
