Eraser Street – Hubris, Humility and Humanity in the Making of a City! is an exhibition that mixes Robideau’s newest and oldest photographs of moments, milestones and monuments in Vancouver, tracing the character of the city and its residents during the last 40 years of non-stop growth. The work reflects upon the quality of life in Vancouver, the value of heritage, the economic engine of development, homelessness and the voice of the people. Robideau’s holographic satirical text charts history while critiquing the forces of government and commerce that have had a hand in shaping our urban environment.
Handmade black and white gelatin silver photographs are juxtaposed with computer mediated digital inkjet prints, reinforcing the flux of change experienced in these images. Robideau’s narrative embraces a lament for what has been lost, a celebration for what has survived, and an admonition for the future of a city still in its infancy.
Join us on Thursday April 9 from 7pm – 10pm for the opening reception of Eraser Street. There will be a forthcoming publication with an essay written by Clint Burnham. The exhibition runs from April 9 to May 16, 2015.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
An Evening in the Archive with Henri Robideau: A fundraiser for the grunt Archive
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Drinks at 6:30 pm, Dinner at 7:30 pm | Ticket Info:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-in-the-archive-with-henri-robideau-tickets-16293120161
Roundtable on Housing and photography in Vancouver: Henri Robideau
Saturday, May 9, 2015 (1–4pm) at grunt gallery. | FULL EVENT INFO.
facilitated by Clint Burnham
Audrey Siegl
Wendy Pedersen
Lorna Brown
Eugene McCann
Jeff Derksen
Henri Robideau
Clint Burnham
Press Clippings:
Georgia Straight | Henri Robideau’s Eraser Street tackles displacement
grunt gallery gratefully acknowledges support from the Hamber Foundation towards this exhibition and catalogue. The artist would like to thank CUPE 15 for supporting the production of the Solidarity Era series. An additional thanks to the BC Arts Council for the project funding making this exhibition possible.
Artist Bio:
Henri Robideau is a photographer and cultural narrator. His life in photography spans nearly five decades – the medium providing both his profession and his means of artistic expression. He is best known for The Pancanadienne Gianthropological Survey, a two-decade record of eccentric Canadian landmarks; Flapjacks & Photographs, the biography of early British Columbia photographer Mattie Gunterman; and 500 Fun Years, the story of colonialism. Panoramic image collages, holographic text and narrative sequences are the hallmarks of his work, which has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally. Since 1979, he has taught photography in half a dozen Canadian universities and is currently a sessional instructor at Emily Carr University. For the past twenty years his large format photographic skills have been in demand by Canada’s leading artists, whom he has assisted in the production of their work. He is currently exploring digital colour technology, alternative means of perpetual photographic presentation and writing anecdotal stories about the ironic tragedy of human existence.