birthdaycake island

Matthew Brown, Jo Cook, James Whitman

6 Sep to 4 Oct 2003

Opening September 5, 7 pm - in conjuntion with SWARM IV

Birthday cake island is a collaborative, site-specific installation made up of drawings, paintings and sculpture by artists Matthew Brown, Jo Cook and James Whitman. With a history of collaboration in investigating cartoon subjectivity and anthropomorphism, the artists have transformed the space within the gallery into a studio and a collective work space during the summer of 2003.

This exhibition is a result of their collaborative process, which can be best described as an accumulation of individual ideas based on a shared interest in cartoon-like graphics. The work in exhibit is constituted by dense yet lyrica images and process-oriented inventions. Mural-sized works are painted directly on the walls and as temporal, to-be-painted-over tow dimensional graphics establish site-based work that challenges notions of authorship and identity.

This exhibition has been held in conjunction with Swarm IV, (2003, Vancouver) an evening of artist-run culture, a city-wide festival organized by the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres.