Not much to see or say here
Probably more interesting to talk with Mr. Kline over a beer.
Abstract art that’s fairly austere
The theory and concept aren’t exactly clear.
Akin to a rock garden or a reflecting pool,
Buddhist monks probably think his paintings are cool.
To make one he probably expended 10,000 kilojoules.
It is extremely obvious he graduated from art school.
Apparently you’re supposed to look at them closely,
(I can think of hundreds of other things I’d like to do mostly)
This is the kind of art that gets hung as a trophy,
I’ve been told he did well in the RBC/Canadian Art Competition, anecdotally.
I‘m not certain how to pronounce his name
But his art is just like a game.
Two different paintings that are almost the same.
I wonder why he didn’t put them in a frame.
The subject matter is commonplace
Of things, there isn’t a single face.
Two different views of an object someplace.
A better poem would be written about them by Jorge Luis Borges.
Done on paper torn from a telephone book
Once you stop and see you’re guaranteed a second look
I’m can’t decide if that’s the bait or the hook
But there must be people out there who think that this is just gobbledygook.
A room sized drawing of a swamp
These two gentlemen are not going to be as well known as Duchamp.
They should have painted directly on the walls just like En Masse
Drawing on paper, in this case is just kind of crass.
Doing it on a fixed medium
Is just like defeatism.
It’s neither about the process
Nor a metamorphosis.
Just another drawing that’s big
If I spent some time and started to dig
I’m certain I could find something interesting
But to be honest that sort of stuff really isn’t my thing.
Using physics for kicks to make contemporary art
When done badly it can break your heart.
Thankfully Nelson Henricks is almost as smart as Descartes.
If he wrestled, he would have beat Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
Twenty-Two eighty-seven hertz is a sound made by machine.
If you click here, you can hear what I mean.
Go to double high C, find D sharp continue to D you’ll find it half way in between.
As far as tones go, it’s fairly routine.
Mr. Henricks uses things like three video screens a turntable and an oscilloscope
To point out some facts, tell a story using a visual trope.
It really is quite good, I saw it early on and it gave me great hope
That viewing the Triennale would be easy and I wouldn’t become a misanthrope.
Sadly this wasn’t the case.
In a deck of cards, not every one can be an ace.
Looking for great Quebecois art will always be a chase
More a matter of the right time, than the right place.
Where do I start?
If I was smart,
I would toe the party line and call it art.
But me and Massimo are world’s apart,
On what we think is visual art.
He sticks a bunch of objects in a space
(Personally I think it’s a disgrace)
And leaves a schedule of when he’ll be there.
Not nice and completely unfair,
To lead workshops and talks
I think Massimo is completely self-absorbed.
It’s one thing to show off a collection
But I can I raise an objection,
To insist that it only can be understood
In his presence.
Since I’m not Massimo I could
Talk about its irrelevance.
But that would require another stanza,
I don’t think I can be that extravaganza,
Even if my ex father-in-law came from Panza
As he would say, “enough’s enough” (really “Basta!”)
Claudie Gagnon makes videos of paintings
But unless you really know your art history all you’re doing is feigning
“That one is like Munch’s The Scream”
Some others are vaguely familiar, like in a dream.
Did Ms. Gagnon see them live or just in a book?
If live, I wonder how long it took?
One thing I find most out of place
In (To Beauty) the drummer is wearing black-face
I wonder if I made a tableaux vivant of Pastourelle à Vallangoujard that was kétaine
If they would put it in a museum or call me a bad comedian
Perhaps if I were to take a deep breath and count to ten
And close my eyes it won’t happen again.
But I really should give Ms. Gagnon props
According to the public she’s the tops.
She won the Coup de coeur du public Loto-Québec
I imagine she really liked the $10,000 check.
Who the fuck is Ernest Ferdik?
Julie Favreau’s installation pours it on thick.
Some hipster dude hanging out in the cold,
I’m not certain if my opinion I can withhold.
There are some logs, some plaster.
I would stop short of calling this a disaster.
The video doesn’t make any sense.
The longer I stick around the less I am on the fence.
This truly was the last piece we saw.
And there was no way I can hem or haw,
Ended up leaving on a downer
Although for the most part the Triennale Quebecoise was a good encounter.
The museum got the name of the show from Grier
As it references “work,” my initial thoughts were dire
But I figured what the heck and took a flyer
After going through it all and thinking about it lots, I’d like to say it is something I admire.
Unfortunately I can’t, although there are some individual pieces I’d like to acquire.
Given the state of contemporary Quebecois art, if some ads are c******, I might actually be able to become a buyer
Being forced to slog through so much mediocre art
At times made me want to depart
I would have liked to have written “be still my heart.”
Instead of feeling like I was wandering through Walmart
Where everything isn’t chosen because it is good, but sometimes because of a prompt.
In three years if it isn’t better, I’m going to try and again upset the applecart.
Mr. Edmundson’s mirror cube is kinda of nice, but it ain’t no Anish Kapor
The paintings of birds and sleeping children on a Ronald Reagan wallpaper
Are fine and dandy, but once I leave the installation, my memory of them dissipates like vapor
Trying to understand the Quebec Triennial is like some mystery caper
Do you think that there’s any connection to Mad Men and/or Dan Draper?
As for rhymes it’s obvious I need my barrel bottom scraper.
A 12 minute three channel video of what I don’t know
Which is 11 minutes and two chanels de trop.
But it must be great it’s on the cover
Of the catalogue. I want to know who is her lover?
I saw the part with a bunch of ribbons
Then stopped watching after the fourth of my yawns.
This is where things can get sort of embarrassing
Sadly of Ms. Eaton’s work I cannot remember a thing.
I know I saw it, her name is there in my notes
I even wrote “nice prints” as one of my quotes.
But that doesn’t really help when I’m trying to describe
What her work looked like or if it gave off any sort of vibe.
So I plead mea culpa
Look straight at the camera and take a big gulpa
I obviously didn’t have an emotional connection
To Ms. Eatons’ work, and after some reflection
And seeing copies of her work on the internet
I’m not certain if it is something I regret.