Brain Child
Allyson Mitchell
September 9 - October 17, 2008
Reception and Artist Talk: October 9, 7-9p

Allyson Mitchell, Brain Child, installation view, 2008

In the exhibition Brain Child, Mitchell examines western and middle-eastern “girl” cultures, drawing on aspects of “girl” culture in the West - the cute, whimsical, kitschy and pink decoration of bedrooms, and aspects of “girl” culture in the Middle East – specifically Afghani war rugs, currently on display at the Textile Museum of Canada. Exploring traditions passed down through generations; these installations can be read simultaneously as oppressive and empowering, revealing the possibilities and limitations for commenting on and contributing to culture.

In the main space, Mitchell’s installation recontextualizes the kitschy ceramic figures of 1970-80’s little girl to create new possibilties for feminized intelligence. The exhibition features over 50 femme savants – brilliant women whose genuis sized brains outsize their bonnets. From the smallest brain to the largest, an organized march of solidarity and purpose lead these figures towards the biggest brain of all - a giant sculpture constructed of fibreglass and afghan rugs. The installation pays homage to handi work made largely by women and rescues/corrects infantilized and diminutive representations of feminized bodies and intellect.

In the project room, in a reconstruction of a contemporary menstrual hut, complete with afghan-covered walls, comfy cushions, and hooked rugs, Mitchell pays tribute toCanadian artist and filmmaker Joyce Weiland’s Rat Life and Diet in North America film. Mitchell weaves a critique of military and media relations and Canadian complacency in obscuring the facts about Afghanistan in her film Afghanimation. Mitchell uses crocheted afghans to gradually expose and then conceal a traditional Afghani war rug, which depicts the image of a woman kneeling with a stringed instrument, framed by grenades and tanks, to suggest a process of camouflage and obfuscation.

Allyson Mitchell is a maximalist artist working predominantly in sculpture, installation and film. Since 1997, Mitchell has been melding feminism and pop culture to play with contemporary ideas about sexuality, autobiography, and the body, largely through the use of reclaimed textile and abandoned craft.

Her work has exhibited in galleries and festivals across Canada, the US, Europe and East Asia. She has also performed extensively with Pretty Porky and Pissed Off, a fat performance troupe, as well as publishing both writing and music. She is an Assistant Professor in The School of Women’s Studies at York University, where she teaches feminist cultural studies.

The Union Gallery appreciates support for this exhibition from the George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund at Queen’s University.