Vancouver
Douglas Coupland’s first solo museum show, “everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything,” took viewers through a sprawling cultural foray into today’s schizoid society. Coupland’s early schooling included a diploma in sculpture, and this influence is felt throughout the show. With Gumhead—a seven-foot-tall outdoor bust of Coupland’s head covered in gum that greeted visitors—and The Brain—a hoarder’s dream that crowned the show’s proceedings—this exhibition gave the feeling of “living in Doug’s world now” (an omniscient statement uttered by Coupland’s incarnate character in his novel JPod). Coupland’s sculptures frequently use everyday objects either refashioned into new designs or simply displayed as art objects in their own right. Several of his installations extend from models, building blocks, and toy kits reconfigured into new environments. Coupland is a keen observer, and a lot of these works point to deeper philosophical considerations on the merit of juxtaposition alone. In the section of the show titled “Secret Handshake” (a look into Canadian identity), typical items of nationalistic import—dreamcatchers, lumber-jack flannel, hockey memorabilia, plywood siding—take on new forms as utilitarian design objects, including sofas, a hutch, and a coffee table.…see the entire review in the print version of November’s Sculpture magazine.
