Happily Never After - Opening June 10, 2009 at Keep Six Gallery in Toronto.
Artists
Greg Hill
Alexei Vella
Nataly Kim
Rey Ortega
Tessar Lo
Jenna Russelle
Mike Wandelmaier
Jessica Fortner
Christian Rosekat
Chris Brett
Eshwin Dhir
Happily Never After
What makes a ‘Fairy Tale’? We all know one when we see it. They are stories, usually brought to us in the form of an illustrated book or lavishly animated film, that we may remember as our first true moment of escapism; the first moment a childish dream was given form. And yet, fantasy never felt so familiar, did it? Whether as moral indoctrination, or simply as a means to entertain, the Fairy Tale is something both shared by and bestowed upon us by a previous generation, at the core of which lies an inherited system of symbols, meanings, and values.
Some might even say that Fairy Tales are most people’s first experience of modern mythology. Morality could never be more clear, evil so hideously obvious or goodness so modestly endearing. Sympathies lie with downtrodden heirs and valiant heroes, the distressed damsel, a charming prince … and so on.
In a world where the validity of convention and tradition remain dubious at best, we turn to different kinds of stories, those of forgotten eras, cultures, and in so doing we uncover ‘tales’ that the principle distributors of social convention finds too obscure, too strange, or too morally ambivalent, to popularize in films and on the sides of lunchboxes.
In Happily Never After, these ‘forgotten fairy tales’ are explored by works from an eclectic group of illustrators. Employing a diversity of media, styles, and approaches, ranging from commercial sensibilities to retro forms both novel and haunting, the exhibit offers pieces that explore not only the gamut of forgotten myths and stories, but of styles and mediums. Whimsical photographed sculptures tell their tale beside the moody, antiquated textures that tell another. Through each individual exploration, these tales of morality and amusement, mythologies telling an era’s fears as well as their hopes, find rejuvenated voice in Happily Never After.
Eshwin Dhir
Contributing Artist
