Lisa Birke • Mark Bovey • Roderick Buchanan • James Carl • Scott Connaroe • Ken Danby • Michael Davey • Thierry Delva • Aganetha Dyck • Greg Forrest • Jean-Pierre Gauthier • Chris Hanson + Hendrika Sonnenberg • Brian Jungen • Wanda Koop • Annika Larsson • Craig LeBlanc • Tim Lee • Kenneth Lochhead • Jim Logan • Jason McLean • Leah Modigliani • Lisa Lipton • Charles Pachter • Graeme Patterson • Tony Scherman • Ron Terada • Diana Thorneycroft • Andy Warhol • John Will • Craig Willms • Colleen Wolstenholme

 

Hockey and art may not seem to have much in common, at least on the surface, but once you start looking closely there’s all kinds of common ground: excellence, imagination, passion, to just name a few. ARENA draws on the creativity in sport and art to provide a fresh perspective on our fascination with Canada’s national pastime.

Hockey has influenced not only our popular imagination but even the works of some of the top Canadian and international contemporary artists. The works in ARENA look at the construction of such concepts as hero-worship, desire, sacrifice and the sublimation of violence in the creation of group identity through sport. Sub-themes include the culture of spectacle in Western society, the role of sport in the creation of male identity, and the role of athletes as screens for the projection of desire and aspiration. Pathos, humour, reverence, irreverence, competitiveness and team spirit are all elements of the works that will be on display.

With one exception, all of the works in ARENA were created by the artists on their own initiative, responding to the rich possibilities they were able to mine from “Canada’s game.” Participating artists have keyed into particular players, as with Leah Modigliani and Wayne Gretzky and Greg Forrest and Bobby Orr. Others have focussed on key moments in hockey history such as Paul Henderson’s goal that won the Canada Russia ’72 series, or the iconic Bobby Orr goal in the Stanley Cup Finals. Still others focus on their personal histories with hockey, with imaginative recreations of games, plays and players.

There is something for everyone in ARENA, hockey fans and art appreciators alike. There are works to challenge, to engage, to amuse, and to entertain; works that will start us thinking and works that will start us remembering.

ARENA is organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

 

 

INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION

30 Years Young: OILERS 30th ANNIVERSARY SHOWCASE

The AGA celebrates the Edmonton Oilers 30th anniversary with a showcase of Oilers memorabilia. See items from key moments in the team’s history, including never-before-seen photographs from the Oilers’ archives and an inside look at one of the greatest private sports collections in Edmonton. Plus, on display for the public for the first time ever, see all five of Kevin Lowe's Stanley Cup rings.

The first—and only—display of its kind at the AGA, you won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Presented by the Edmonton Oilers

 

 

ARENA PROGRAMMING

HSBC ALL DAY SATURDAY
Saturday, October 4

1 pm: Curator’s Tour of ARENA
1-4 pm: Artful Arenas - Build your own mini-arena complete with a movable hockey player. You can even design the logo beneath centre ice.
Free with Gallery Admission, all ages welcome

 

PUBLIC LECTURE
Thurday, October 23, 7 pm

"Looking good, feeling good": Sports, Fitness and the Body
Pirrko Markula, Ph.D, Professor, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation
$10 General Public / Free for AGA Members, Enterprise Square

In the history of modern, popular culture, the ‘sporting’ body of the athlete has been characterized by the well defined muscles and lean torsos needed for high level physical performance. While ordinary people have less pressure to excel in high performance, the values, ideals and aesthetics of sports continue to provide us with desirable measures of success. Today, the ideally beautiful body emulates the tone and leanness of the athletic body, but the history of popular body-models was not always the ‘sporting’ body, and followed very different paths for men and for women. Dr. Pirkko Markula studies fit and healthy bodies from poststructuralist and feminist perspectives.

 

ART FOR LUNCH - New Program -
Thursday, November 27, 12:10-12:50 pm

Exploding POP: Warhol/Gretzky and the Hockey Connection
Join AGA Assistant Curator, Marcus Miller for a casual and informative discussion about art, ideas and the intersection of the two
Free Admission, Enterprise Square Atrium

 

HOURS & ADMISSIONS

 

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