Veronica Classen

I know very little about Veronica Classen- except that her mixed-media paintings are very well done. She's as technical as she is loose in her style- it's an interesting dichotomy. Her paintings tend to feature antiquated imagery that is ghostly, gloomy and anxious. You can see more of Veronica Classen's paintings here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Gillian Wilson

Gillian Wilson is a Toronto-born visual artist. Multi-disciplinary, Wilson illustrates, paints and designs. Her work has a great 'loose' quality. You can see more of GIllian Wilson's artwork here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Crucial office technology!!!

A friend of mine recently bought me a mini-foosball table for my birthday and honestly, it's the best thing to happen to our office since a client sent us an espresso maker last year. If you have to brainstorm as part of a team, push to get one of these in your office- it makes brainstorming the best thing ever! Trust me, Ben Pobjoy

Hey Montreal- Drawn and Quarterly store

I swung by the Drawn & Quarterly store (211 Bernard Ouest in Mile End) this morning while running some errands and realized that I have neglected to post about the D&Q store- which is one of the best book stores in Montreal. If you like graphic novels, art books and little zines, this place is for you. And, the staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. You can find more info about the Drawn& Quarterly bookstore here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

A Day Among Friends

A few people have recently emailed me and been like, "Hey share some photos since your photography website is under construction." So, I'm doing exactly that. The above are some photographs that I shot a few weeks back while hanging out with some good people / friends from the old country. If you click on the images they will enlarge. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht is by far the greatest ideological contributor to modern art. His concept of 'Verfremdungseffekt' is one of the most powerful concepts in art- and, it is a concept that has been interwoven into a slew of modern art's greatest artworks. If I could reanimate any dead person for the sake of conversation, it would be Brecht. To read more on Brecht click here. Take that to the bank, Ben Pobjoy

The New York Times- Heaven's Angels

The New York Times ran a great photo essay on 'Rescue Ink' today- an organization comprised of bikers that work for the welfare and rescue of mistreated animals. It's full of humanity and compassion- and an amazing dichotomy of cuteness and roughness. You can see the photo essay here. Thanks to our friend (and amazing painter), Ron Jamieson for informing us this about this story. Get your cute dog and cat on, Ben Pobjoy

Magnum Photos

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of the Magnum Photos- it's probably the most famous and important photographic cooperative in the world. Founded in 1947 by some photographic greats (Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, etc.), Magnum Photos has contributed heaps to the richness of photojournalism. Anyway, the Magnum Photos website has a great 'Essays' section which is a repository of numerous photographic essays on a variety of subjects. If you're bored, eating lunch at your computer or stuck inside on a rainy day, I'd advise you to sit down and check it out here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

James Nachtwey

A former Magnum photographer, James Nachtwey has spent close to the three decades photographing wars, conflicts and social issues around the world. He's been to the front lines of wars, famines, epidemics, etc.- and his photography is as powerful as it is sobering. To see more of Nachtwey's photography click here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Uncut- Modern Currencies

Uncut's Modern Currencies (Paperbag Records) came out a few years ago and was somewhat overlooked- I attribute this to the band's history of not touring that much. Anyway, I wish this album got more attention because it's great and it sounds amazing. You can check out Uncut here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Doug Brown's Colours opens Thursday, August 28th at the Emporium Gallery

Doug Brown's Colours opens at the Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest, #74)on THURSDAY, AUGUST 28TH from 7PM to 11PM. The show will also be open from Friday, August 29th to Sunday, August 30th from 12PM to 6PM. Private viewings will be available by appointment on Monday, August 31st through Wednesday, September 3rd.

About Colours-
Colours will mark Toronto-based visual artist Doug Brown's exhibition debut in Montreal. Featuring oversized stencils, paintings, sculptures and mixed media pieces, Colours is a multifarious yet stylistically cohesive exhibition that brims with Brown's signature coloration, boldness and penchant for mystical, mythical, folkloric and ethnic imagery. Dazzling, tactile and mammoth, Colours will intrigue the senses.

Artist Statement-
I am subconsciously inspired by the randomness that I see in my day to day life in Toronto- and, this randomness becomes somewhat of a pulp in my mind. I do not feel inclined to paint or create per se. Rather, I feel an urge to expel this subconscious pulp and connect the aforementioned through colour. I just want to remove this pulp from my head- which I do artistically. It is what it is, I just want people to understand me through my art- without having to explain what my art is or what my art means.

About Doug Brown-
Doug Brown (b. 1980, Canada) is a Toronto-based visual artist. Very much multi-disciplinary with regards to his artworks, Brown is known for his bold, vibrant and oftentimes oversized stencils, paintings, sculptures and mixed media pieces. Having already exhibited in numerous Canadian cities (most recently in Vancouver as part of the launch event for the paperback version of Beautiful Losers), Brown is continually taking his artworks to the masses- intriguing exhibition attendees with the visual onslaught of his artworks' patterns, characters and tactility. Doug's website can be seen here.

Should you need more information, please visit the Emporium Gallery website here or click on the eflier above. Hope to see you there, Ben

Hey Montreal- Teenanger this Friday!

Our friends, Teenanger are playing this Friday (August 22nd) at Casa Del Popolo with Skip Jensen. The show runs from 9:30PM to 12AM with Teenanger going on at around 10:30PM. If you like dirty garage rock, this will be up your alley. It's $5 so come on out and get shitty. You can hear Teenanger here. See you at the show, Ben Pobjoy

Mercedeez Bendz 'Woodhands' remix now online

Switzerland CS' Co-Creative Director and Art Director, Shawn Butchart recently remixed 'I wasn't made for fighting' by Paperbag Records recording artists, Woodhands- under his Mercedeez Bendz alias of course! Anyway, the song is now available for purchase online (Itunes, Amazon, etc.). It's been a big summer for Mercedeez Bendz as he recently cut a track for Yo Majesty too! You can buy the track here. You can see Mercedeez Bendz's production site here and you can check out Woodhands here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Peter Saville- Many Thanks Owed

I don't know whether it was because I was raised on a solid diet of new wave music by British parents while growing up in Europe but Peter Saville's graphic design has long fascinated me- way before I became an arts nerd. I believe he's one of the best graphic designers of all time- and unbelievably talented in visually exemplifying the character of his clients (especially with regards to album packaging). His work is often sparse and minimal yet it is striking and commanding- and, he's a master of using the most suitable typefaces. To learn more about Peter Saville and his contribution to culture click here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Suede-

New Order-

Joy Division-

The Emporium Gallery website has been massively updated

We have massively updated the Emporium Gallery website with all of our 2008 programming. In addition, we have integrated a new, virtual archive for the majority of our previous shows. The virtual archive features a virtual tour, the exhibition description, the artist statement, the artist biography, still images from the exhibition and the exhibition flier. The virtual archive can be found in the bottom right hand corner of the website's main page or within the Archives subsection within the Exhibition section. You can see the Emporium Gallery website here.

Also, take note of the following exhibitions at the Emporium Gallery (all artist web links are active);

AUGUST-
Doug Brown / Colours
Thursday, August 28th - Wednesday, September 23rd
eatyourart.blogspot.com

SEPTEMBER-
Dennis Chow / The Horrible World of Glamnation
Thursday, September 25th - Wednesday, October 1st
www.glamnation.ca

OCTOBER-
Scott Lewis, Jim, Holyoak, Matt Shane / When I Get Back Home
Friday, October 3rd to Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
www.monstersforreal.com/index7.htm

Jamie-James Medina and Matthew Salacuse / Sanza Hanza
Thursday, October 16th - Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
www.jjmedina.com
www.salacuse.com

Kit Malo / The Art of Getting Along
Thursday, October 23rd - Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
www.lambsamongwolves.com

NOVEMBER-
Hayden Menzies / Things Change
Thursday, November 6th - Wednesday, November 12th
www.haydenmenzies.com

Julia Deakin / Untitled
Thursday, November 20th - Wednesday, November 26th
www.juliadeakin.com

DECEMBER-
Joel Birch, Luke Shirlaw and Elana Mullaly / Highlights of a Lowlife
Thursday, December 11th - Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
www.thekingdomofsadmachines.com

Thanks, Ben Pobjoy

Getting our fashion on

We apologize for the lack of blog posts this week- we have been busy working with Juliana Bennett, a long time client of ours. Bennett is the designer behind Mulcair, a glamourous, environmentally-minded high end fashion label based in Montreal. Bennett has recently completed her second collection- a stunning 2009 spring/summer nautical-themed collection. We're currently working with Bennett on promotional materials for the new line- writing them and designing them. You can see the Mulcair website here.

On a side note, the Mulcair line photograph above was taken by our pal, Gordon Ball. To see more of Ball's work click here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Reach into dem pockets!

It was my birthday a few days ago and I'm using my birthday to try and compel the readers of this blog to make a donation to Acrassicauda; an exiled Baghdad metal band (the subject of Vice Films' Heavy Metal in Baghdad documentary). To learn more about Acrassicauda click here. To donate click here. Thanks, Ben Pobjoy

Montreal Mirror gives kudos to the Emporium Gallery!

Many thanks to the Montreal Mirror- Montreal's largest free, English-language weekly newspaper (287,000 weekly readership) for their continual support of the Emporium Gallery. The Mirror has already written about Ben Pobjoy's Land of America installation and Alex Snelgrove's Weak Brave Light exhibition this summer. And, the support continues...

This week's issue of the Mirror features a two page spread on Montreal's Southwest neighborhood and gives kudos to the Emporium Gallery (gallery write up, photograph of the gallery and inclusion on a 'hotspot' map of the Southwest) for contributing to the cultural renaissance of the area. If you're a Montrealer grab a copy of this week's issue. If you live outside of Montreal you can see the digital version of the article here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Congrats to Matthew Koudys and Jimmy Limit

Matthew Koudys-

Jimmy Limit-

Matthew Koudys and Jimmy Limit, who have exhibited at the Emporium Gallery, were runners up in a Vice/BlogTO Ontario photography competition. Matthew and Jimmy are great dudes and great photographers. To read about the competition, click here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Parra

Parra is an Amsterdam-based illustrator/ entrepreneur (he owns the Rockwell clothing company). He's criminally overlooked- this is crime/shame since Parra's style has been copied, emulated and basically used as Nu-Rave's esthetic. Parra's the originator and deserves the respect associated with this. You can see more of Parra's work here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Luke Painter

Luke Painter is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary visual artist that creates illustrations, animations, installations and prints. While all of his work is great, I find his print work the most intriguing- especially his older print work which combined etching and silk screening on metals and canvases. Unfortunately, Painter's website does not feature his older work but it does feature a slew of his new work. You can visit Painter's site here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Richard Long

Given that I posted about Andy Goldsworthy yesterday, I figured that I should also post about Richard Long. While both Goldsworthy and Long could be mistakenly compared to one another due to their relationship with nature, use of sculpture as their preferred medium and the temporality of their artworks; they are both very different artists.

Long's works are extremely fascinating given that they are so simple and primitive (tamping tracks into the earth through foot steps)- yet they are profoundly human. His work speaks to the temporality of human existence in the face of an epic, monolithic and almost infinite natural world. In this way, Long is very much inspired by the conceptual framework that differentiated classic Romantic painters from painters in other movements. I find Long's work to be humbling, sobering and corrective since he artistically reminds us that civilization is but a blip in the scheme of things. To see more of Long's work, click here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Peter Beste's True Norwegian Black Metal Book

Peter Beste, who exhibited at the Emporium Gallery last fall, has just released True Norwegian Black Metal (Vice Books) which features 126 Norwegian black metal photographs by the Brooklyn-based photographer. I had the privilege of flipping through the book last week and it is beautiful; I'd urge you to purchase the book if you're a fan of portraiture. You can purchase the book here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

The Illuminati

I threw on the Illuminati's 'On Borrowed Time' album last night and was grinning as I listened to it. The songs rule, it's catchy as fuck and the recording is thick as hell. This band was criminally overlooked outside of Canada. Unfortunately, the Illuminati are no more but I'm sure their albums are available for purchase somewhere on the internet (and I'd urge you to buy all of them). If you like gritty rock with no bullshit, you'll dig the Illuminati. You can see their Myspace page here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

I love Andy Goldsworthy

I have long been a fan of Andy Goldsworthy's sculptures. I find his creative relationship with nature to be quite interesting for a variety of reasons; I like that he reconfigures nature naturally (with stones, sticks and pigments) and that he's at peace with the temporality of the medium in that his outdoor work is temporary, always deteriorating due to the forces of nature. And, I guess that's just it- I like the dichotomy or the harmony of receonstruction and deconstruction that exists in his work. For more information on Goldsworthy click here. I've also posted a short video of Goldsworthy and his work below. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Vintage Jon Stewart

This is an old video of Jon Stewart on CNN tearing the Crossfire hosts a new asshole. It's fucking great- and, I'm not a Stewart fan! Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

The many voices of Mike Patton...

Love him or hate him (I'm somewhere in between), Mike Patton is a ridiculously dynamic singer. Don't believe me? Watch the vids below, Ben Pobjoy

Mike Patton does Slayer covers with the Fantomas-


Mike Patton sings with in Italian with an orchestra-


Mike Patton with Tomahawk

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

I was fortunate to catch Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings play this past weekend in Montreal. If you like Motown and Soul, check Sharon Jones out. Her latest record, 100 Days 100 Nights, is great but you really have to experience her live- not only does she have an insane set of pipes (she's got the strongest voice I have heard in a while), she has some serious moves and knows how to work a crowd- not bad for a 52 year old ex-Rikers Island corrections officer! You can see her Myspace profile here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Pete Ryan

Pete Ryan swung by the gallery the other week and introduced himself to us. I don't know much about him other than the fact that he's a nice guy and a talented illustrator. If you like Gary Taxali's work, you'll probably like Ryan's work. You can see more of his work here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

André Ethier

I should have mentioned it, but André Ethier's artwork appears on the cover of the new Quest For Fire record. Ethier's a prolific painter who paints scenes, characters and portraits in an amazingly loose, brilliant style. Ethier's approach is very classical, much like Francisco de Goya and Giuseppe Arcimboldo, but his paintings have this Edvard Munch quality- in that there's this prevailing sense of agony and dred. All of this is made more interesting by the lush colors he employs. To see more of André Ethier's artwork, go here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy

Man's Ruin...Oh, How I Miss You

I don't want to sound like an old asshole but I used to really love Man's Ruin; it was one of those labels that always put out great records. Unfortunately the label went belly up a few years ago. I just wanted to post about Man's Ruin to show some appreciation. If you don't know Man's Ruin, you can read about the label here. RIP, Ben Pobjoy

New Quest For Fire Album

We pried ourselves out of the office this week to go drink some beers with our chums in Toronto's Quest For Fire. They're on tour and played Montreal a few nights ago- their set was great. Anyway, their new record is out and we're blasting it like mad in the office. If you like loud, grungey, psychadelic rock then you'll dig Quest For Fire. If I'm not mistaken, you can buy their album through their Myspace profile here. Enjoy, Ben Pobjoy