Out Today: Assume Nothing's Small-Town Social Realism

This spring, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria shone a spotlight on social-relational artworks with its show "Assume Nothing". Including well-known international artists like Harrell Fletcher and Haegue Yang as well as locals like Robert Wise and Andrea Walsh, the exhibition, which closed yesterday, seemed pretty interesting. (I especially liked the idea of Wise's sex-worker kiosk, installed on the grounds of the AGGV.) Today, the National Post published a brief Q&A I did with show curator Lisa Baldissera, as well as a bunch of images from the show. Here's an excerpt:

Q This exhibition focuses on "socially engaged art." Do you really think art can change society --and by extension, the world?

A I think the societies that are the most dysfunctional are the most unconscious, the ones where there's no field for debate. So as far as art changing the world, it's about creating a space that says discussion is important, but taking that discussion outside of the high-pressure environments of the boardroom or the city hall chamber, where there's urgency for specific solutions. It's about creating a field of "what if?" discussions where revolutionary ideas can be brought forward.

Image of Robert Wise & PEERS's The Office: A Portable Amenity Kiosk for Female Outdoor Sex Workers from canadianart.ca