the world at play - Art Gallery of Hamilton

ART GALLERY OF HAMILTON
ANNOUNCES 2013 EXHIBITION YEAR:
THE WORLD AT PLAY
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 -- The Art Gallery of Hamilton has announced its annual
exhibition theme for 2013: The World at Play. A highly engaging integrated programme of
exhibitions, films and performances, and educational endeavours that will delight visitors of all
ages and artistic interests, The World at Play aims to divert viewers from the everyday, to
refresh and entertain, while also allowing for a serious probing of the myriad meanings and
inflections that attach to what each of us conceives as ‘play.’
Simon Willms (Canadian b. 1977)
Peres (2010)
chromogenic print from 4” x 5” negative
Approximately 4’ x 5’
In a world of mass entertainment, and indeed, of political upheaval, the notion of play becomes
a loaded concept, touching on both the root and function of the museum today, as well as on
our need for pleasurable relief from the strains of our fast-paced and often troubling world.
The World at Play is in this way an invitation to come find entertainment and enrichment at the
Art Gallery of Hamilton, one of Canada’s premier cultural institutions, as well as to reflect on the
range and meanings of diversion (play), especially so within the context of the museum, which
has both a diversionary and educative mission.
Currently Zidane, A 21 st Century Portrait by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno is on view.
Starting May 25, 2013 the following exhibitions will roll out throughout the remainder of the year.

The Spectacle of Play
Play: the word and related concepts yield a dizzying
array of meanings, activities and states of mind. In
considering this thicket of meanings one might enact
a behaviour, fulfilling a role in a single event (play)
that might be both sporting match and theatrical
performance, or indeed part of a constructed
persona played out in the real world. Play therefore
can mean that we remove ourselves from our
conventional contexts, refashion ourselves and our
usual roles.
But just as one might actively participate in play, the
term can also denote a less active time spent in
leisure, one more cerebral than physical. It has been
said that leisure and entertainment are constituents
of the modern world, a complex of spectacles with as
many permutations as play itself, the roots of which
reach at least as far back as the ancient Olympics
and through the courtly idylls of the European 18th
century, on the way to its first full flowering in the
mass entertainment of 19th century Paris, the first
modern ‘City of Spectacle.’
James Tissot (French 1836–1902)
Croquet c. 1878
oil on canvas
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Basil Bowman in memory of their daughter Suzanne, 1965
Helen McNicoll (Canadian 1879-1915)
The Victorian Dress c. 1914
oil on canvas
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Gift of A. Sidney Dawes, Esq., M.C., 1958
While art had always been to some degree a performance meant to
delight, artists in the 19th century began to respond to this new
leisure class and culture of spectacle through their choice of subject
matter, and notably through the performative processes that
brought their works into being. The business of representing was
often the result of self-representation, that is, a role consciously
played by artists through their chosen style or type of art making.
The Spectacle of Play therefore aims to trace play in all of its
meanings, from the depiction of leisure to the notion of spectacle in
all of its variations, from the word play of the Surrealists, to the play
of chance and the play of forms that is inherent in the process of
making art.
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Courtesy of the Rhode Island School of Design
Historic and contemporary artworks will illustrate these variations in tandem. An 18-foot salonstyle
installation of 19th century paintings redolent of the Parisian Salon—the epitome of period
spectacle and a form of entertainment in itself—will be juxtaposed with a dramatic, oversized
black and white film created by contemporary Canadian artist Marcel Dzama, whose heavily
costumed characters act out a game of chess.
Marcel Dzama
Still from A Game of Chess (2011)
Video projection, 14:02 min, black & white, sound
Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London
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Graeme Patterson (Canadian b. 1980)
Ten Point Game (2008)
mixed media installation with stop-motion animation
Private Collection
Barbara Steinman (Canadian b. 1950)
Roulette 1993-2005
sound sculpture; brass, etched glass, audio
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Gift of the artist, 2010
Portraits of sports players, and memorable moments in
sports history, as well as a contemporary sculpture by
Graeme Patterson depicting Darryl Sittler’s famous 10-
goal hockey game in 1976 will take us into the heart of the
most literal meaning of play: the sports world. Viewers will
see the goals re-enacted as a table-hockey game and
hear Darryl Sittler providing play-by-play commentary.
This installation is a preview of a solo exhibition of
Patterson’s sculptures that will open in October, 2013.
The notion of chance, integral to another facet of play—the gambling
table—will be represented by such works as Canadian artist Barbara
Steinman’s Roulette, an etched glass and brass sculpture in the shape
of a roulette table, which includes a soundtrack of the ball travelling
around the table.
Visitors will have the opportunity for interactive play as well—in a recroom
setting filled with artful video games created by Canadian digital
media artists. The games suggest that art combines with play in a
multitude of contexts, including the digital media world that the Art
Gallery of Hamilton has systematically showcased prompting us to
ponder anew the relationship between art and ‘play.’
A series of photographs by Toronto-based
photographer, Simon Willms, takes viewers inside
the world of talented young baseball players in the
Dominican Republic. The images capture the
determination and vulnerability of boys who have
grown up with dreams of making it in the big
leagues. Willms documents a pivotal point in their
lives, the pause between childhood and adulthood
when everything is still possible. The formal portraits
offer fascinating insight into the boys’ world on the
island, where they live and where they play.
Simon Willms (Canadian b. 1977)
Juan Manuel Aquino (2009)
chromogenic print from 4” x 5” negative
Approximately 4’ x 5’
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For the thousands of visitors who come to the Art Gallery of Hamilton each year to see Kim
Adams’ Bruegel-Bosch Bus, we have an incredible surprise: Graeme Patterson, a young
artist living in New Brunswick, who uses miniature toys to construct large scale sculptures and
video animations much in the style of Kim Adams. Five large sculptures by Patterson will fill the
contemporary galleries, inviting viewers into the magical world of child-like play. A mountain
sculpture, open on one side, reveals a complex world of toys and games within: it represents
the artist’s studio and a kids’ play room, and uses memorable animal characters to tell a story
about the trials and tribulations of growing up.
Graeme Patterson (Canadian b. 1980)
The Mountain (2012)
multi-media installation
About the Art Gallery of Hamilton
The Art Gallery of Hamilton is the third largest public art gallery in Ontario. Established in 1914,
the AGH permanent collection, which is focused on historical Canadian, 19 th century European
and Canadian Contemporary art, now numbers more than 9,000 works and is recognized as
one of the finest in Canada. The AGH is regarded as a vital centre of creative development and
artistic engagement that brings art and people of all ages together. Approximately 250,000
visitors will came to the AGH in 2012. Highlights of the exciting 2013 exhibition schedule include
The Eye of Napoléon and The World At Play, an integrated programme of exhibitions, films and
performances, and educational endeavours, including exhibitions by leading Canadian
contemporary artists Graeme Patterson, Barbara Steinman and Marcel Dzama, photographer
Simon Willms. To find out more about what’s happening at the AGH visit
www.artgalleryofhamilton.com
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Visitor Information
Admission:
AGH Members: Free; Adults, $10; Students/Seniors, $8; Children (6-17), $4; under 5 years,
Free.
Friday Free Night: Free admission on the first Friday of the month.
Museum Hours:
Tuesday – Wednesday, 11 am-6 pm; Thursday, 11 am - 8pm; Friday, 11 am – 6 pm; Saturday –
Sunday, 12 noon – 5 pm. Monday, closed but open on statutory holidays.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton is located at 123 King Street West, downtown Hamilton, Ontario,
L8P 4S8. [T] 905.527.6610 [E] info@artgalleryofhamilton.com
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For publicity images and more information, please contact:
Steve Denyes, Manager, Communications
[T] 905.527.6610, ext. 255
[E] steve@artgalleryofhamilton.com
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