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Luther Price:Imitation of Life, textby Lia Gangitano, et al., New York:Thread Waxing Space, 2003, n. p.,ill. b.&w.Nan Goldin, textes de PauletteGagnon et Eric Mezil, Montreal,Musee d'art contemporain deMontreal, 2003, 96 p., ill. coul.(texts also in English).Nedko Solakov, texts by Am i Barakand Henk Slager, Amsterdam: DeAppel, 2003, 52 pp., ill. col. (textesaussi en neerlandais).Rachel Harrison:Brides and Bases,texts by Ben Portis and MargaretSundell, Oakville: Oakville Galleries,2003, n.p., ill. col.Revealing the Subject, text by ShannonAnderson, Oakville: OakvilleGalleries, 2003, 64 pp., ill. col.The Royal Art Lodge: Ask the DustDictionaryofReceived Ideas, textsby Wayne Baerwaldt, et aL., NewYork: The Drawing Center; Toronto:The Power Plant; Middleburg: DeVleeshal; Winnipeg: Plug In CA,2003,104 pp., ill. b.& w. & col.Steve Reinke, text by Tom Folland,New York: Thread Waxing Space,2003, n. p., ill. b.& w.Suzanne Lafont. Appele par son nom,texte de Marie de Brugerolle, Aries,Actes sud, 2003, n.p., ill. coul.Tom Dean: Ruins, texts by JosephineMills and Lee Rodney, Lethbridge:University of Lethbridge, 2002,64 pp., ill. b.& w.& col.Revues-MagazinesPerfect Magazine, Lyon, Les Pressesdu reel, n'i, 2003, 6o p.Livres d'artiste_Artists' BooksDaniel Danis et Susan Coolen,Terre oceane, coil. De s photographes,Montreal, Dazibao, 2003, ii6 p.,ill. n.et b.Mark Dion, L'ichthyosaure. La pie et

autres merveilles du monde naturel,Marseille, Images En ManceuvreEditions, 2003,128 p. , ill. n.et b.et coul. (texts also in English).Marie-Eve Gagnon et MarisaPortolese, Un chevreuil d lafenetre

Althea Thauberger, Songstress,Vancouver Artspeak, compact disk,2002.

Althea Thauberger's "SongstressProject" is,at root, aconceptuallyrigorous artwork that merges withpopular music discourse. TheSongstress CD presents audio an dphotographic portraits of eightyoung female singers drawn froman ad placed by the artist in anentertainment weekly: "FemaleVictoria filmmaker seeks femalesingers/songwriters, ages approxi-mately 17-25, to be featured in an artfilm. No experience necessary."While savvy,Thauberger is no wolfin sheep's clothing. Rather thantaking a cheap shot at the innocent,she places her own subjectivity- asthe copyright acknowledgmentsunderscore - alongside those ofher subjects.Each chosen respondent cut a demoof her song in a recording studio.These songs are undeniably drivenbe feeling and affect. Titles likeReaching Over, Sunshine, LookingforSomething and Why reflect theproclivities of heart and soul. Emo-

de ma chambre, coil. Des photo-graphes, Montreal, Dazibao, 2003,80 p. , ill. coul.Sylvie Tourangeau, Appel(s) d I'aigle,Montreal, Galerie Sylviane Poirier,2003, n.p., ill. n.et b.

tion is ormalized as Thaubergeradopts an impresario or curatorialrole in bringing these moods intopublic through the strategies an dcriticality of art discourse. What isrevealed is he role of musical craftin engaging an aspirational politics,the varied yet coded ways "o f be-coming asongstress." Most of thesongs record a deeply felt loss oflove that marks a reckoning withpersonal symbolism. They testify tothe act of writing one's way out ofturmoil and are at times excruciat-ingly earnest. But isearnestness initself suspect? Perhaps only to apolarized positioning of mind ver-sus emotion. Thauberger configuresthese performances as places tostand, spaces to speak from.The verdant sites around Victoriafunction as the context for thesingers' portraits. "Nature" be-comes an explicitly mediated term,framing the women as they take astake in, and project, affect. Theliner notes include an essay byKathy Slade who situates Songstresswithin the history of portraiture an dwithin an explicitly female audiencethat ha s expanded since SineadO'Connor's pivotal performanceat the 1995 Lollapalooza festivaland Sarah McLachlan's all womanLilith Fair- these are "girlsinger[s]...singing for girls." Withthis CD Thauberger articulates animportant locus of emergentauthorial subjectivity within thespecificity of gender and art.> JENNIFER FISHER

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

TITLE: [Songstress]

SOURCE: Parachute no112 O/N/D 2003

WN: 0327406069015

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