Artist Emanuel Licha (emanuel-licha.com) was living in Sarajevo when he witnessed a car stop in front of a demolished home. Out poured a guide with a group of tourists who furiously snapped photos before heading off to the next viewing spot. The incident sparked the idea for War Tourist, a series of videos shot from the point of view of a tourist seeking postwar conflicts and disasters.
Opening today in Latitude 53’s Main Space, an installation of five 20-minute films shot between 2004 and 2008 will transport you from Sarajevo to Chornobyl, Auschwitz, New Orleans (after hurricane Katrina) and the suburbs of Paris (site of the 2005 civil unrest).
In each location, Licha presented himself as a tourist, hired a guide and asked to see the “worst destruction” and “most dangerous” part of the city.
In the Edmonton Journal today, Janice Ryan talks to artist Emanuel Licha about his show, Striking a Pose—opening tonight with a curator’s talk at 6:00 and a reception following.
Take a look at a copy of today’s Edmonton Journal—Janice Ryan reviewed our two current shows, Where Are We Going? and Sanctuary.
Art with the muscle to snap one’s busy mind out of autopilot and get the grey matter churning is worth a look. There is satisfaction in being offered a platform from which to reflect and ponder. It is all too easy to get muddled with day-to-day routines and forget the freedom and joy that lies in taking the time to simply think and imagine.
Latitude 53’s two shows offer a chance to admire art for art’s sake and at the same time, get the cogs turning.
Catch both shows at Latitude 53 through June 20th.
Janice Ryan has given the National Portrait Gallery the full treatment in today’s Edmonton Journal:
The exhibition is intelligent, witty and delightfully cheeky, offering ideas, perceptions, memories and experiences that are easy to access.
“This show brings it back to the people,” says Todd Janes, executive director of Latitude 53. “These portraits are not about politicians and chief justices. It looks at how the composition of Canada is changing … who our heroes are. It reignites a discussion about how we define ourselves.”
Read the article and make sure you see the show before it comes down—we’ll have it until next Saturday, July 17.
