Now an annual event, the Sobey Art Award presents a young Canadian artist (under the age of 40) with a cool $50,000. Moncton artist Mario Doucette will represent the Atlantic region at the Toronto ceremony on October 1, but this year’s long-list includes two local artists, Craig Leonard and Tonia Di Risio.
Di Risio is best known for her doll-house photographs and video installations that explore familial relationships, in particular, multiple generations of women (her misfit Kinder Surprise creature photos are amazing too). A while back, Leonard discovered some archive materials from the Center for Experimental Art and Communication, who, in 1977, hosted Toronto’s first punk club under the title “Crash & Burn.” Included among the posters and another memorabilia was a “lost” demo tape from popular LA punk band, The Screamers, who never released a studio album. For Gift for the Screamers, Leonard sought out former members of the band to give them hand-pressed vinyl records he created as part of an installation last summer at Los Angeles’ Raid Projects. Check out his project blog.
This article appears in May 15-21, 2008.