Causing a Commotion

Dear friends,
I am writing to update you on the latest spot to find some of Liz’s artwork: The Demitasse Café at 1320 Blanshard Street, at the Corner of Johnson.

This is my favourite brunch spot in Victoria, due, in large part, to the ambiance created by all the local artists featured on their walls. (Neil claims you can’t eat the walls, but to me ambiance makes the food taste better.)

One day I asked the owner about hanging some of Liz’s work and was thrilled to discover there was wall space coming available the following Saturday. Knowing that Liz’s work might be considered risqué by some, I inquired, “Do you want to see it first?” to which he replied, “Art is art: I say, let it hang!” Just what I wanted to hear.

Saturday came along and I went in after hours to hang the paintings. The owner seemed genuinely interested in Liz’s work, and, as it turns out, also has a sister with a disability, so was particularly impressed by Liz’s choice to become an artist.

Later that week I went in to drop off Liz’s artist statement, and some more information about the “Woman in Full Colour” series to which these paintings belong. To my great disappointment, as soon as I walked in I discovered that her work had been taken down. The owner was not working that day, and the staff didn’t seem to have a clue about what had happened. I left feeling confused. Was the owner’s enthusiasm a complete façade? Had I really been that poor a judge of character?

A few days later I returned, prepared to pick up Liz’s work and leave quickly --never to return to my formerly favourite brunch spot again-- only to discover that six of her pieces were in fact on the wall. This time, rather than being in a corner in the back room, they were featured front and centre, directly across from the cash register. The owner came out to see me immediately and, following an apology, explained that the Sunday after I had hung her work, a group of elderly ladies came into the shop for an post-church brunch. They were seated at one of the larger tables in the house, which, incidentally, was right next to where I had originally hung Liz’s art.

Now the details are murky, but I suppose this group of dining divas was sufficiently offended and voiced their concerns loudly enough that the staff took down her paintings at once. The owner doesn’t work Sundays, so didn’t know any of this had happened. When he returned to work the next week, he allegedly berated the staff for removing the art and the story goes that a heated conversation ensued about what art is, what art is meant to do, and what an ‘appropriate’ level of nudity for a breakfast restaurant should be. Causing a commotion indeed.

As most of you know, Liz paints and writes on a range of themes, but the specific paintings I selected as part of the “Woman in Full Colour” series are mostly female nudes. Personally, I find Liz’s interpretation of the female body fascinating and beautiful, which is why I selected these images in the first place. How fortuitous that this particular group of ladies arrived just in time to witness and complain about Liz’s work, which had the ripple effect of stirring up emotions, and inspiring conversation about the art. This, in my opinion, is exactly what art is meant to do.

The concept of ‘beauty,’ of course, has likely been debated since the first cave drawings, and the debates carry on to this day. Feminist art critics and theorists such as Lucy Lippard, Linda Nochlin, Silvia Bovenschen and the Guerrilla Girls have raised poignant questions around who sets the standards for so-called aesthetic quality and whether who artists are (in terms of their positioning along race, class, gender, ability, country of origin, etc. lines) ought to be considered as part of an aesthetic analysis. Would the ladies have been equally offended, I wonder, had they known some history about the artist or the collection? Should this matter?

When she heard this story, Liz responded as any artist might: She was inspired. “Maybe I’ll paint a new series,” she mused, “of naked elderly women carrying canes and wearing red and purple hats!” Somehow, I suspect the Red Hat Society ladies would approve.

For my part, I am delighted that Liz’s work has caused a bit of a stir. As my friend Kimberley commented when she browsed Liz’s blog, “Nice to hear she went to Emily Carr. Nice to know people are thinking.”

As for Demitasse, the resolution between owner and staff was that the more provocative nudes (e.g. the one featured above) be removed, while six of the less controversial pieces remain on the wall -- alongside Liz’s artist statement, the “Woman in Full Colour” curator’s statement, and the dozens of other local artists’ work. I suppose this is a resolution we can live with…for now!

If you’re in Victoria, please come check it out -- on display until further notice and/or further provocation.

~ Catherine