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The latest exhibit at Martha Street Studio flies in the face of typical art gallery conventions. By all means, they say, pick up a piece and get your dirty fingerprints on it.
For Calgary-based artist Yvonne Mullock, that’s the most exciting part of Proofread. “I love the idea of people picking up an artwork and having that permission to kind of touch it and to almost let that process be really open so that if there are scuff marks or those lovely marks that are left by people handling things, that becomes a part of the artwork.”
Proofread is a collection of printing, textile and video that Mullock curated as part of a nine-month residency in the printmaking department at the University of Alberta. Both set letters in a printing press and old clothes come together to share messages from the artist, but also allow for the public to create messages of their own, as if the art were magnetic letters on a fridge to be altered by anyone in the house.
For Mullock, the participation of the audience in the exhibit is a crucial element mirrored in her work with the printing press. Its invention in the late-15th century resulted in a democratization of knowledge which had been held by the ruling class for centuries. “In a similar spirit, in a democratic spirit, I really wanted to use the idea of language and making it accessible to the general public,” says Mullock.
That access is made even more prominent by the Martha Street Studio, who Mullock applauds for being so active in public programming and workshops for young people. “Having an exhibition in that space presents this really interesting opportunity to create,” smiles Mullock. “It’s kind of like a community message board.”
Ultimately, Mullock hopes that Proofread is an engaging place for people who want to participate in the art-making directly or merely passively observe its growth and development. “Proofread commands your attention in this way that’s quite engaging,” she says, “I’m really interested in collaborating with strangers and kind of bringing people together in this forum and to leave a mark or two, leave a word, a sentence for others to change over time.”
Proofread will be on display at the Martha Street Studio until July 12. The studio is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information can be found at the studio’s website.