Shooting Blanks
Jacqueline Collomb, Jon Stamp
January 15 - February 5, 2008
Artist Talk: January 17th, 3pm | Reception: January 19, 6-8p

Jacqueline Collomb, Untitled, mixed media, 2007

Shooting Blanks, an exhibition by Jon Stamp and Jacqueline Collomb, intends to address issues of masculinity within Western culture. As a construct of society, masculinity has created expectations surrounding man’s behaviour; the male as strong and silent, the expectations of him as a provider, as someone of physical strength and sexual prowess, are all stereotypes generally attributed to males. These stereotypes have been criticized for their negative impact not only on women, but on men as well. This exhibition aims to examine this negativity and further
question preconceived notions of male gender and their function within the military and everyday life.

Jacqueline Collomb
In recent works, Jacqueline utilizes media imagery of current armed conflicts to explore society’s response to such situations. This work is inspired by her conflicted response to the various media portrayals of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Materials, process and context are used to elaborate on the content.

In her previous works, imagery is used to offer a critique of Western disconnect from the global community by creating comparisons to Western popular culture. Current work continues to focus on these issues and concerns. Through reference to consumerist tendencies (war as a product) and the role of gender in the military, this work examines what it means to be a soldier today and questions the responsibilities of the civilian. Further, each work poses questions that many of us grapple with, or she proposes should grapple with.

Print technologies, such as CMYK print-outs and serigraphy, emphasize the speed and efficient means of production and distribution of goods in a competitive market. This aspect is contrasted within some projects by use of hand made materials, such as paper.

Jacqueline Collomb is a fourth year student in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Queen’s University. Concentrating at the moment on print making and time based media, she hopes to translate questions of importance regarding armed conflict and military life into visual artworks. Upon graduation in June, Jacqueline hopes to spend time working and travelling from sea to shining sea.


Jon Stamp, Untitled, video still, 2008

Jon Stamp
Themes of isolation, social disconnection, masculinity, addiction and the creative process are explored in Jonathan’s art videos. Jonathan's contributions to Shooting Blanks primarily engage concepts of masculinity. His work celebrates masculinity but also treats stereotypes and preconceived notions of male sexuality with skepticism. His work is often confrontational, begging the viewer to question his motivations and hopefully their own.

Jonathan Stamp is a British-Canadian video artist currently enrolled in the Honour’s program of a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Queen’s University. He has been active in the Kingston art scene for four years displaying work in group shows in the Union Gallery, the Artel and Modern Fuel. He has also had a series of solo shows displaying his chalk pastel work in Vancouver in 2002-4.