Artist Evan Tapper returns to Winnipeg to present his most recent multimedia installation Swoon, which strives to unpack the myth of Leda and the swan, an ancient Greek story of the god Zeus and his encounter with a mortal woman. Tapper’s video installation in Gallery 1C03 will be accompanied by the presentation of a woodcut print titled Leda, which is drawn from the University of Winnipeg’s fine art collection and was created by local artist Arthur Adamson. Inspired by Adamson's woodcut and infused with Tapper's feminist perspective, the video installation presents a consideration of the narrative nodes at which power, misogyny, agency, sexuality, and violence are located within the myth of Leda and the swan. In this way, Swoon considers power imbalance and misogyny in ancient texts, while seeking to investigate how they have influenced contemporary society.
Delineating concepts of seduction and control that are inherent to the myth, Tapper engages humour to question the potential harms of historical and contemporary social expectations about gender and relationships. Further, Tapper’s project explores broader notions of dominance and persuasion that are fundamental to concerns around behaviors and structures of authority in intimate circumstances more generally. Due to its engagement with these themes, Tapper's installation and reworking of Leda and the swan are resonant with and relevant to a wide spectrum of human relationships.
Artist Biography:
Evan Tapper was born in Winnipeg and is currently based in Toronto. He received a BFA from the University of Manitoba and a MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. His multimedia work has been exhibited throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, South America, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, China, and Japan. Recent residencies include the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu Japan, and Charles Street Video. He has received grants and awards from such organizations as the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, New York State Council on the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council, and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. Tapper has held academic appointments at the State University of New York Fredonia, Ontario College of Art and Design, and McMaster University.
Swoon is on display January 21 – February 20, 2010
- Opening reception: Thursday, January 21 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. (1st Floor, Centennial Hall)
- Artist talk: Friday, January 22 beginning at 12:30 p.m. in Room 2C15 (2nd Floor, Centennial Hall)
Admission is always free and all are welcome!
Gallery 1C03 and the artist wish to acknowledge the generous support provided by the Manitoba Arts Council.
Image: Swoon, 2009, video stills.
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