Artist Norm Barney’s new exhibition, A Continuing Saga: Resistance and Resilience, will be on view at ARTspace gallery starting Wednesday, April 26. An opening reception for the artist will take place at 7:00 pm and everyone is welcome. ARTspace is located at 165 ½ King Street West in Chatham.
Self-taught, Norm Barney has been practicing his craft for more than thirty years and has exhibited widely as a solo artist and as a member of the ReMix Collective.
Barney is well known for his irreverent humour, political commitment, and playful interrogations of popular culture. His work is colourful, patterned and carefully constructed. Through a process that combines painting, sculpture and assemblage, the artist arrives at work that is uniquely his own.
Being of European and Indigenous descent, it is this heritage that captures the artist’s imagination most significantly in this exhibition. An avid collector of nostalgia and tourist objects of the sort now commonly found in thrift stores and flea markets, Barney brings these objects to light as he explores his family history through wry and pointed observation. Using the simplifications of kitsch to expose the stereotypes that popular culture seems so eager to provide, the result is entertaining, complex, and thought-provoking.
Everyone is welcome to this free event, so take advantage of this opportunity to support your local art scene and experience the vibrant artistic community in Chatham-Kent.
For more information, please visit us at www.tagartspace.com. You can also follow us @TAGCK and @ARTspaceCK for updates.
We look forward to seeing you!
Media Contact
Phil Vanderwall
Curator, Thames Art Gallery
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
519-360-1998 x 4422
philv@chatham-kent.ca
