Marianne Corless

FURTHER

...is a visual art installation that has been selected to show at various galleries across Canada in 2003-4 (please see CV). The installation is comprised of 2 major elements:

1) 2-dimensional mixed media pieces made largely from recycled fur, including fur flags and fur portraits

2) a tiled "fur carpet" that covers over 400 square feet of gallery floor, wall to wall, plus a number of large "fur throw rugs".

The installation is designed to provoke thought about Canadian history, and to provide a sensual experience using the powerful qualities of the material. If you are in a region where a show is taking place and want more information, please contact the artist or the gallery.

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ARTIST BIO

Marianne Corless grew up in Fort McMurray Alberta, and has been based in Victoria BC since 1985. During her first "academic career" in the sciences, Corless had the opportunity to spend years at a time living overseas, and it was through these experiences of living as a foreigner that she first began to question the nature of Canadian identity and culture. In 1996, she returned to Canada and shifted career direction by enrolling in the Victoria College of Art. Four years later she graduated as the valedictorian of her class and has been practicing art full-time ever since. "Further" is her first solo show.

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ARTIST STATEMENT - FURTHER

I have felt the absence of a strong cultural identity throughout my life. Living abroad for several years heightened my awareness of this, as did the early death of my parents and the geographic dispersion of my family over time. The events of September 11, 2001 compelled me to act when I witnessed the strong national identity exhibited by the American public. They appeared to know who they were. Who was I?

Like most Canadians, my primary exposure to our history was in junior high school - a time when history's relevance to personal experience is typically hard to grasp. As an adult, I have re-learned our history, but this time I have connected with the events because they are my history. With that connection has come a sense of ownership and a range of emotions. Canadian history is a composite of great human achievement and great injustice.

The British and French moved across the globe to further their empires and wealth. The first settlers of Canada moved further west and north to access the most lucrative skins. Adventure, avarice, ruthlessness, greatness - all of these are intertwined in the story of Canada. It is complex and full of contradiction, just as fur is the sensual result of violence and the softest manifestation of power.

Jasper Johns painted the American flag, claiming to use the design to free up the painting process. In my work, I am using the Canadian flag with another intent - to use the jolt of ownership that it evokes to generate a sense of responsibility in the viewer. The flag belongs to all Canadians and we must accept all that it represents: greatness, vision, and violence. That is who we are. That is who I am.

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Education:

VCA Diploma (Valedictorian), Victoria College of Art, Victoria BC, 2001
B.Sc. (First Class), University of Victoria, Victoria BC, 1994

Exhibitions:

Upcoming Solo Shows

Jan 2004		Further: Grunt Gallery, Vancouver BC
Feb 2004		Further: Hamilton Artists Inc., Hamilton ON
Apr 2004		Further: Eyelevelgallery, Halifax NS
July 2004		Fur Queen II: Mercer Union, Toronto, ON

Upcoming Group Shows

Nov 2003

Historical Portraits, Contemporary Interpretations: (With Ruth Scheuing) Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam BC

Past Solo Shows

Sep 2003		Further: The New Gallery, Calgary AB
Mar 2003		Further: Gallery at the Mac, Victoria BC

Selected Past Group Shows

Sep 2003		Probing into the Distance: Contemporary Art Forum, Kitchener ON
May 2003		Artropolis 2003: Vancouver, BC
Oct 2002		Victoria College of Art Alumni Show: Gallery at the Mac, Victoria BC
June 2002		ArtWorks 2002 : BC Festival of the Arts, Surrey BC
June 2001		ArtWorks 2001: BC Festival of the Arts, Fort St. John, BC

Apr 2001

Victoria College of Art Graduation Show: EC4 Galleries, Victoria BC

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