February 5 – 15, 2003
The Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts presents Touchy Feely, our 5th annual Valentine’s Day Exhibition. In the last 5 years, Propeller has organized To You With Love, Eros, Crush, and Sweetheartache giving artists a much-needed opportunity to articulate, express and sometimes vent their feelings on this Touchy subject.
We received an overwhelming response to our call when we asked artists last autumn, if Valentine’s Day made them ‘feel all Touchy Feely’. The exhibition resulting from that call is packed with love, lust, envy, obsession, denial, and hope.
Touchy-Feely is a group exhibition that chronicles the milestones in our Valentine-pressured quest for true love and personal fulfilment.
First, you see a happy couple discover love at first sight (Beverley Abramson’s photo of two dogs licking). You feel left out (Gareth Lichty’s cement heart painted green with envy). You tell yourself you are not a loser and deserve someone special. You get dressed up (Sophia De Francesca’s Halter Dress) and go out in search of love. You meet someone eager to teach you about the birds and the bees (The Birds And The Bees illustrated by Darren De Genova).
Soon you realize your relationship is a delicately balanced house of cards liable to fall apart at any moment (Clarissa Lewis’ satin house of cards). You become obsessive (Kristina Lahde’s innumerable XOXO’s in red and Linda De Luca’s heart made from hair). You become possessed by a love which turns to hate (Daphne Gerou’s paper I love You/I hate myself hearts). You are a stalker (Astrid Bin’s 25 cent -psycho- girlfriend performance). You turn violent and eat the one you love (Marie Becker-Pos’ cat and feathers box).
You know you have crossed a line and determine to quit cold turkey. When that doesn’t work you turn to a variety of substitutes for love (Rhya Tamasauskas’ stuffed Heartthrob Monsters, Cathy Cahill’s Imaginary Boyfriends, and potentially, Robert Anderson’s photo of commercially packaged rubber penises).
In the end, you are left to mend the pieces of your broken heart anyway you can (Julia Dault’s hand-stitched hide heart), and a lifetime’s collection of Valentine mementoes (Karen Craven’s metal boxes, Teri Donovan’s encaustic hearts and everything else you will see in the exhibition…by Dylan Thomas Farrell, Lorna Toth, Susan Stewart, Gertrude Kearns, Yvonne Meissner, Marija Barac Jandric, Keijo Tapanainen, and many others).
Touchy-Feely is sponsored by our Queen West neighbours Come As You Are and Dufflet Pastries. So please come to our opening reception, eat some cake, and buy Astrid’s love (for the low low price of 25 cents).
