Traffic: Conceptual Art in Canada 1965-1980

Traffic: Conceptual Art in Canada 1965–1980 is the first major exhibition to focus on the influence and manifestations of conceptual art in Canada, a movement that can be largely understood through Sol LeWitt’s famous 1967 statement that “the idea becomes a machine that makes the art”. Concerned with language, body, place and geography and the very concept of what constitutes the concept of art, this movement, both in Canada and globally, was indelibly marked by the 1960s post-war political unrest and social upheaval; in North America this included racial and cultural conflict, anger over the war in Vietnam, the uprising of the women’s movement, and the radicalization of the gay liberation movement after the Stonewall riots of 1969. Conceptual art was also informed by the emergence of new information technologies such as the video camera and television, the photocopier, tele-type and fax machine and, in the end, the computer. In a world already perceived to be too full of ‘things’ (such as paintings, sculptures and monuments), the conceptual movement rebelled against the production and consumption of art objects that represented individual expression, special skill, or visual and formal concerns, and instead, emphasized art as idea first and foremost. Presenting more than 450 works by over 100 artists from across Canada, Europe and the United States, Traffic is organized around urban and regional centres from Halifax to Vancouver, while seeking to capture the dynamic lines of traffic between them. The nationally touring exhibition is shared by four venues in Halifax: Dalhousie Art Gallery will present work from Ontario, curated by Barbara Fischer (Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, University of Toronto), and Montreal, curated by Michèle Thériault with Vincent Bonin (Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University). MSVU Art Gallery will host work from Halifax and Atlantic Canada, curated by Jayne Wark (NSCAD University); Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery will display work from British Columbia, curated by Grant Arnold (Vancouver Art Gallery), and the Prairies, curated by Catherine Crowston (Art Gallery of Alberta). The Anna Leonowens Gallery at NSCAD University will augment the exhibition by presenting a selection of its unique collection and archive materials for a two-week period from 22 March to 2 April. This exhibition is supported by the Museums Assistance program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.