Group of Seven Awkward Moments
September 4, 2008
The project is an offshoot of a similar photograph series she was working on called The Canadiana Martyrdom Series. Using a variety of Canadian icons, like Anne of Green Gables, and Canadian landscapes used in tourism she recreated martyrdom scenes.
It was in the middle of that series when Winnipeg’s Plug In ICA held a fundraiser called “Group of Seven with a Twist.” Thorneycroft decided to use Tom Thomson’s Early Snow as a backdrop with plastic dolls of Bob and Doug McKenzie drinking and surrounded by ravenous wolves. She got a good response from the work she made it a series.
She hopes Group of Seven fans can see the humour in her work, and her dream is to have the series shown in a gallery alongside Group of Seven pieces.
“People could then appreciate the complexity of what I’m trying to do and actually the beauty of what they did. I have to say as I look at their work I really do like it a lot, especially Tom Thomson’s paintings. It’s just stunning work.”
So far, Thorneycroft has made 14 awkward moments and says she had at least four or five more. The hardest part has been trying to find props for her scenes. For one awkward moment featuring Grey Owl she had to have a fringe jacket made for a GI Joe.
“Being a practicing artist in 2008, I’m just trying to show that Canadians are a lot more complex than, and not as nice as, we seem to be; that we’re fraught with anxiety, and bad weather and stupid mistakes change lives.”
Group of Seven Awkward Moments will be on display from Fri September 5th – Sat September 27 at London Ontario’s Michael Gibson Gallery. The show will be heading to Montreal’s Art Mur in October and Calgary’s Skew Gallery next winter.
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