PIllBilly Fantasia at the Art Gallery of Mississauga Nov 15 2012 to Jan 5 2013

From a media release:

Art Gallery of Mississauga
PillBilly Fantasia
XIT RM | Cindy Blazevic
November 15, 2012 – January 5, 2013


Opening Reception: Thursday, November 15, 6 pm
All are invited to attend the Opening Reception. Admission to the Gallery is FREE.
FREE bus from The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St W, Toronto) at 6pm to the Reception. Bus returns at 8pm.


Artist Studio Tour, November 18, 11 am
Valley of the Dolls – A Reading, November 22, 6 pm
PillBilly Explored and Explained, December 15, 1 pm

Exhibition
Visual artist Cindy Blazevic transforms the Art Gallery of Mississauga’s XIT-RM with a sculptural installation that defies boundaries between sculpture and photography. The artist takes over the space with sculptural tiles, featuring photographic images of pills. The result is a sensory overload for the viewer – an immersion into the glossy, candy-coloured, overwhelmingly tempting world of medication. The room provides an escape from the darker hues and rougher textures of reality, as well invites the viewer to lose oneself in the Fantasia of pills.

Concept

PillBilly is a pop culture term that references the condition of addiction and medication. Blazevic is interested in the notion “that we are all dependent, that we are all pillbillies in a broader, medical sense.”  The artist believes that one is not born anxious, or in pain; one becomes that way.  PillBilly Fantasia, then, is a kind of Promised Land – the promise to fix anything and everything with a pill.

Events
Sunday, November 18, 11 am, Exhibiting Artist Studio Visit | Cindy Blazevic.

Exhibiting Artist Studio Visit – limit of 15 people. Open studio and discussion. RSVP

Thursday, November 22, 6 pm – 7 pm, Valley of the Dolls – a Reading.
Join artist Cindy Blazevic for an interpretive reading | performance of Valley of the Dolls, by novelist Jacqueline Susan, the quintessential narrative of addiction, lifestyle and human foible.

Saturday, December 15, 1 pm, PillBilly Explored and Explained

Dr. Jonathan Fiddler M.D. gives a presentation on prescription drugs, cultural meanings, other musings of addiction which are referenced in the XIT-RM | PillBilly Fantasia. In Dr. Fiddler’s words: "Healthcare is the Jenna Maroney of Canadian political issues, hogging the vast majority of adulation from the voting public with spending to match and, like the fictional Ms. Maroney, it is a busy spectacle but perhaps not the best way to get the job done."

About the XIT-RM

Emerging and established artists in the Greater Toronto Area and the Mississauga region are showcased monthly in the Project Room.   Six artists annually are selected with a published catalogue and accompanying critical text.  Exhibitions are selected by the Curator that honour the Mission and Mandate goals of The AGM.

The emphasis is on contemporary art and critical engagement.  The exhibition space is dedicated to the vision of highlighting regional talent. The exhibition features its own opening/vernissage and also ties closely with regional universities and link in with the educational components of the AGM Resource Room and the new Artist Professional Practices Series.

Image: XIT-RM | Cindy Blazevic: PillBilly Fantasia

ART GALLERY OF MISSISSAUGA
300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga ON L5B 3C1
905 896 5088
M, T, W, F 10-5 Thurs 10-8 Sat, Sun 12-4
artgalleryofmississauga.com

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