Dwayne Martineau | Strange Jury

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Dwayne Martineau, “Strange Jury,” 2021

installation view, Art Gallery of Alberta (courtesy of the Gallery)

Artist talk/Reception: October 24 from 6-8 pm

The Art Gallery of St. Albert (part of the Arts and Heritage Foundation) has launched its newest exhibition in the beautiful main gallery space. In Strange Jury, visual artist, musician and composer Dwayne Martineau unleashes a vision of nature that is ancient and venerable.

A circle of images hang suspended at the center of the Gallery, beautifully symmetrical and detailed. In creation, each of these figures began with Martineau photographing multiple tree trunks in Edmonton’s Mill Creek Ravine.

These images are nature’s judges and humans are the defendant. A soundscape permeates all around, providing a narrative structure. And as sounds progress, visitors hear the judges deliberate, argue, and finally - pronounce their verdict. Here, the hidden consciousness of nature observes, and humans are positioned as outsiders. Humans’ presumed separateness and superiority to nature is questioned.

“We’ve been trained to see the self as central and superior. That has survival advantages, but there are consequences”, says Martineau. “It can cause us to act against our own self-interests. When we see the ground, forest, water, air as separate from us, we don’t give a thought to ripping them up and lighting them on fire. We will burn our life support system, and exterminate our evolutionary cousins, in the name of our own survival, not realizing we are killing ourselves in the process,” he adds.

By creating space for nature to stare back at us, to humble us, Martineau hopes visitors will be inspired to show gratitude, respect and awe for the natural world.

Events:

• In-person tour: October 17 at 6:30 pm

• Virtual tour: October 23 at noon on Facebook Live