Memories of the Sun

Two artists create unlikely armchair travel experiences for would-be tourists.

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The word ‘tourist’ is a loaded term. Sometimes, it’s fun to act like a tourist, exploring new territory and trying different food, all while taking endless photos. But the term can also be derogatory, evoking stereotypes of clueless mobs that rumble by with little regard for a place or its people.

Midway through the pandemic, I spent the better part of a year in Venice as an intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Venice Biennale. The city, of course, attracts many tourists – they actually outnumber residents – so much so that Venice is trying to implement an entry fee for visitors. Endless streams of travellers stroll along,  taking in the beauty and clogging the narrow, winding streets. They can make walking feel almost painful. Venice is stunning no matter where you look, but that’s not top of mind if you’re late for work. 

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“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

installation view at Art Gallery of Regina showing work by Sylvia Matas, “House Plant,” 2022, video, 3:17 min. (left); “A Reversal of Winds,” 2018, bookwork digitally printed on paper, 20 pages, each 8.5” x 11”; and “Looming,” 2021, video, 35 min. looped (photo by Don Hall)

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“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

installation view at the Art Gallery of Regina showing Sylvia Matas, "Looming", 2021, video, 35 min. looped (left) and Anne Brochu Lambert, "Impermanent / Éphemères series (photo by Don Hall)

Memories of the Sun, a two-person show on view until April 30 at the Art Gallery of Regina, made me think about what it means to be a tourist and why some places never feel like tourist destinations. Ironically, both Regina artist Anne Brochu Lambert and Winnipeg’s Sylvia Matas created their work from the comfort of home, without drawing on their own travels. 

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“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

installation view at the Art Gallery of showing work by Anne Brochu Lambert (photo by Don Hall)

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“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

“Memories of the Sun,” 2023

installation view at the Art Gallery of showing work by Anne Brochu Lambert (photo by Don Hall)

Brochu Lambert used discarded photographs  she found at a garage sale as the basis for her Impermanent / Éphémères series. She painted over the once-treasured images, reprinted them, and then continued adding mixed media – using things like markers, ink, spray paint and gold leaf – to create layered works that abstract the landscape. While she has never visited these places herself, her alterations allow her to experience them without the tourists. Her series is both desolate and serene. She has left one image untouched, an idyllic view of a cliffside, as a tribute to her unknown collaborator. 

With pandemic lockdowns, border closures and other challenges keeping many people closer to home, she invites gallery visitors to imitate vacation photos through an interactive installation that projects altered slides onto the wall. The setup evokes holiday slide nights, a popular pastime before social media ruled the world.

Matas also borrows the lenses of unknown collaborators. She scoured the Internet to find live-stream surveillance cameras and sorted through untold hours of footage of empty roads and parking lots.  

This process let her assume the guise of an unconventional tourist. The locations she has chosen seem unlikely to inspire holiday reminiscences, and they’re certainly not the beautiful scenery favoured by Brochu Lambert. Yet there are moments of engaging absurdity. For instance, one video shows leafy branches that have either grown over or blown into the lens, offering close-up surveillance footage of foliage. At times, the plants elegantly frame the shot. But sometimes they obstruct it completely.

These videos left me questioning the significance of place: Why do I feel like a tourist in some spots and not in others? 

After I had lived in Venice for a few weeks, my coworkers and I began wondering if we were still tourists. Some of them were staying only for a month or two, while others would remain in the city for six months, or even longer. Is it simply duration that differentiates visiting a place from living there? If so, how much time is needed to claim residence?

After Venice, I made a short stop in Winnipeg before moving to Regina for a few months to intern at the Dunlop Art Gallery. But, in Regina, I never thought of myself as a tourist. Both Regina and Venice are small and have great art galleries, yet the idea of being a tourist felt almost comical in Regina. The city’s failed tourism campaign – the one incorporating misogynist humour – certainly didn’t help.

Perhaps if I had to stumble through a foreign language to order amazing pizza I might have felt differently. But somehow I didn’t take photos of Wascana Lake the way I did with the Venetian canals. And, sadly, in Regina, Aussie actor Hugh Jackman never stopped by my workplace. I’m sure it was an oversight on his part. ■

Memories of the Sun at the Art Gallery of Regina from March 11 to April 30, 2023.

PS: Worried you missed something? See previous Galleries West stories here or sign up for our free biweekly newsletter.

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