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Over the past twenty-four years, the grunt gallery has developed very deep and widespread roots in the arts community. The artist-run-centre's extensive visual art and performance archives, along with its diverse community connections, directly contribute to its historical significance in the Vancouver contemporary art scene. Our values of inclusively and collaboration along with our emphasis on making the artist central to all curatorial, operational and programming decision-making, creates a unique and exciting space for art to be exhibited and performed.
The Grunt Gallery primarily provides a nexus of practice and exchange for visual and performance artists, a place to exhibit, perform and to engage in ongoing dialogues. The grunt kitchen is central to all of this work - it is here that community meetings start, artists congregate and share the latest news and conceptual turns; ideas and possibilities are brewed over coffee and everyone - from politicians, art patrons, visiting artists, gallery visitors, students, funders to trades people - is welcome to sit down, share a coffee and take part in the conversation.
Grunt Gallerys focus has been on exhibiting those artists whose practice tends to be on the periphery of the ever-changing contemporary art scene - whether they be emerging, transitioning, or actively challenging accepted art practice from within their self identified 'community'. The artists exhibiting or performing at the grunt rarely provide an easy interpretation of what is art; they are ahead of the curve and always compel viewers to move out of the comfort zones of everyday life.
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On now
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Activating the Archive: Part One - Testing the Water
7/8/2010 - 8/21/2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 8, 8-11pm
Images, video and documents from grunt's 26-year history of artistic activity will be on display in the grunt gallery, July and August 2010. The exhibition design, produced by Malcolm Levy and Innes Yates working with gallery staff, will be implemented by artist Davide Pan. During this exhibition, grunt's archives will be moved into the gallery space to allow grunt staff and volunteers the space needed to enhance our cataloguing capabilities. Visitors to the gallery are invited to work with gallery staff in digging through the archive locating hidden gems from grunt's past.
This project is a key step in moving towards grunt's Media Lab renovation and development. Plans and schematics for the upcoming Media Lab renovation will be on display in the exhibition. Based on feedback from gallery visitors, a priority list will be developed for the digitization of historical materials. As these materials are digitized they will become the raw material for representing grunt's history in the forthcoming Media Lab. Exhibition Designer Malcolm Levy, recent curator of the successful CODE Live exhibition during the Cultural Olympiad is developing the Media Lab Project at grunt. Working with bnode architect Innes Yates he is developing a physical and cultural agenda for the new space.
ACTIVATING THE ARCHIVE is a project we will be pursuing over the next several years, mining the extensive archive that is our history and cultural equity. We are committed to making this material available to the public online and through our Media Lab. Over the last five years, grunt has produced a number of important new digital projects from our archives highlighting the unique production of important First Nation creators (First Vision, Aboriginal Creators Project, Medicine Project, Beat Nation ); as well as an extensive survey of Vancouver art production through the web project Ruins in Process - Vancouver Art in the Sixties produced in cooperation with the Belkin Gallery UBC in 2009. ACTIVATING THE ARCHIVE will continue this work into artistic research and development.
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