For most of my adult life, I have wanted to work in my art on topics of pain and disability. I feel the human body is resilient while simultaneously fragile. Participating in Lookshow is an opportunity to make artwork expressing sterile health care facilities. In the sculpture, fabric shashes resonate with hospital bed sheets, scrubs and gowns, while the handles reflect the relationship between patients and aides. I first got to know Victor through working at Artspace, in Winnipeg in the 20th century, and in several reincarnations and/or reinventions in the 21st.
My work investigates visual mediums of drawing, sculpture, with performance, video, and installation. An artistic language featuring the body is the starting point, where I reflect on its relationship to materials to make new work. For this piece I will be working in a metal shop. The shop is called “north forge fabrication lab” and it’s not a forge! I’ve wanted to work in there for a while, and the piece I’m making for Lookshow is a perfect reason to try it.
Nicole Shimonek
