Flipping the Bird 2022
Rails End’s member Exhibition celebrated “Canada 150”, the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation in 2017.
Painting an upside down, freshly shot, dead Canada Goose contrasted itself from the celebratory theme of the 2017 Canada 150 show. It didn’t go over well. Deemed controversial by local press, humorously joked about at the opening. One person kindly told me months later “people just didn’t get it”. And they were right.
Helpful compliment though as I create to a personal quest of truth first. For what it’s worth the goose’s truth was “it’s the victorious that get to write the history that creates the myths”. And what myth we’ve enshrined.
For this years 2022 POV theme I reworked, resized, rethemed, flipped and retitled a new work. Even put a bow on it! Perhaps a more informed POV might be in the wind? Flags flying at half mast? Graves? Which way is up? A nation upside down.
Only now being recognized!
Entirely self confirming for me as I’ve known most of my life the myth of it all.
To put a bow on it all, perhaps time is our ally for a more truthful point of view.