TELEGRAPHJOURNAL.COM saSaturdaylo,June 9, 2012n/s3 The‘Witchdoctor’ is in MichaelDudeck, Winnipeg’squeer shaman performance artist,visitsFredericton. StorybyMikeLandry According to Statistics Canada, Michael Dudeck just spent the last six weeks as one of their project man- agers in the arctic.Thatwas his official job title,atleast. On adeeper level, Dudeck says he was acting as sha- man –entering communities and people’s homes with diplomacy and politeness.And he wasn’t just tallying RogerSterling, playedbyJohn Slattery,from‘Mad Men,’ seated in aCorona Chair designed numbers.Hewas researching forhis artistic practice. by Poul M. Volther. Photo: submitted Dudeck, who hails from Winnipeg but has embraced anomadic lifestyle,has been building alexicon forhis practicesincegraduating from the UniversityofMani- toba School of Artin2008. Buddinggood taste His work encompasses performance, drawing,sculp- tureand photography wrapped up in aqueer shaman- ism he has devised and is expanding.Bending status amatter of taste.Asthe cut of their quo notions of religion, sexuality, history, monasticism clothes and the style of their furniture and whateverother constructions he gets his hands on, suggest,the denizens of Mad Men are he’s even created his own language. effectively us,but us with our sense of He will be in Fredericton foramonth beginning Fri- taste removed. Or,perhaps,not so much day, June 15, foraperformanceresidency at Gallery ‘removed’ as unborn. Whatmakes them Connexion. It’s his first visit to the East Coast,and he so interesting is how convincingly they hopes to use the residency to digest whatheexperi- illustratethattaste is conditional, almost enced up north. entirely caught up in the march of time. Drawntonotions of spirits and shadow people,and How one might acquiregood taste, other Northern mysteries,Dudeck says the North is Judith given thatitissosubject to change,isac- a“hyper-real, quasi-heavenenvironment,” and the Mackin tually quite simple,atleast in principle: white of snowcaps,clouds and fog“really is this huge education. Anyone canacquireand cul- living,breathing painting thatencompasses every- designdriven tivatesufficient reservesofgood taste, thing.” it’s just amatter of application. There’s Therewill be three components to Dudeck’sresi- no getting around the fact you’ve got to dency in Fredericton. One,which he calls “almost the immerse yourself in whatphilosophers officejob work,”will involvefacilitating tworituals for am fascinated by the question of call ‘the discourse,’ which, so farastaste the full moon and newmooninwhathecalls social An installation of Michael Dudeck’s exhibition ‘Parthenogenesis,’ taste.Whatisit, whatisits worth is concerned, simply means you’ve got to sculptures.Asecond will be aceremony wherehe’ll which wasatPari Nadimi Gallery in Toronto from Feb. 5toMarch and how –ifyou’rethinking you’d payclose attention to what’s going on in premier his newforay into writing sacred music with 7, 2009. liketoincrease your current supply the world of design. avocoder and synthesizer –“prog-rockmeets Catholic I –doesone acquireit? In part, this is whatImean when I Church meets pagan ceremony.” So,when other people look at it,whether conscious of I’d liketothink my position on the celebrate–asIsooften do –democratic The thirdpartisaseries of performances where it or not,theyconnect.” question of taste is not only evolving, design. Design is democratic because Dudeck workswith one of his large-scale photographs Dudeck’sfaith in artistic energy was cemented while but exists in aconstant stateofflux, be- we all have equal opportunity, if we’re printed on ragpaper,scratching the photo to form working with renowned performanceartist Marina cause I’m not entirely certain of the ori- words from his own language forsix to eight hours at a Abramovic.Dudeck assisted Abramovic during her gins or basis of my own supply of taste. It’s allvery time while fasting. retrospective Artist is Present at the Museum of Modern I’masintrigued as much by its absence well to be Dudeck began doing drawing performances after ArtinNew York Cityin2010. in some people as its abundancein aresidency at the Glasshouse in TelAviv,anartistic “I really have to do my best to keep my vehicle (his others.Iknow any number of perfectly gIfted,but there’s home-laboratory“to promote artistic experimentsthat bodyand mind) clean to house all thatenergy.It’s like gifted, intelligent and interesting people no substItute arebased on performanceand installation artinthe my teacher,likeit’s talking to me.Itilluminates things.” who aredecidedly challenged when it domestic space.”Hesaysthese pieces arealways better As Dudeck continues to build his ideology of queer comes to matters of taste.I’d no more forhardwork, than the results from his moretraditional studio prac- shamanism, he’s finding the personalityhealways har- trust them to pick out wallpaper than I dIscIplIne and tice. boured but didn’t fully understand. would atreesurgeon to perform aheart experIence.taste, “Everyone always connects morewith concentrated “There’sthis notion in contemporaryart whereyou bypass. energy,” he says.“All of the energy flowing through have to violently justify everything ... Iwork really,real- Isuspect taste maybesomething akin It turnsout,Is your bodyand in the air gets cemented in thatimage. ly hardtonot makesense of it. to artistic talent,ifonly in this limited onepartnature “I have abunch of things thatsurpassed being a‘Boy’ sense: while it maybetrue some are when Iwas young,and it was struggle to house all that born with moreofitthan others,it’s a to nIne parts and not know whatall these things were.” useless facultyunless youwork on it.As nurture. Expanding his identitytowelcome contradictions – the English novelist Martin Amis says adopted himself into aJewish family as child, Dudeck of writers,“Genius is all the God-given now adopts religions,cultures and gender as art–he stuff –the altitude of perception and prepared to attach our attention to the wants to expand his audience’sconcepts of whatispos- articulacy.Talent is craft.” Amis’spoint, conversation going on all around us,to sible through his practice. as Itakeit, is something commonplace build up reservesoftaste sufficient to “It sometimes gets out of hand, but I’m very blessed among artists –it’s all very well to be appreciate it. to have alot people in my lifewho supportmeand gifted, but there’snosubstitute forhard Youmay not be in aposition to afford my work,”hesays. “Thereare about 33 staples Ihave work, discipline and experience. Taste, to decorateyour home likeRoger Ster- to have with me –ahigh-powered blender,basic art it turnsout,isone partnaturetonine ling in Mad Men decorates his office stuff,certain clothes,certain things to keep sane.Icon- parts nurture. –his white leather Corona chair,for ex- stantlyhavetoremind self thatwhen you’re pioneering Whatmost intrigues me about taste ample,costs morethan my car–but you ground thereisasortofcrippling uncertaintywhich is howsubject it is to historyand cir- cancertainly affordtopositionyourself has to become your friend.” cumstance. One of the reasons the hit to know why thatofficeisatriumph of Dudeck will be at GalleryConnexion until July 15. television series Mad Men is so popular good taste. s Contact the galleryat454-1433 to inquireabout dates is because –with its painstaking recrea- forDudeck’sperformances. s tion of an era60years removedfrom Judith Mackin runs an interior design our own –itservestoremind us that company,punch inside.You canfollow her ‘Consecration’ (2012, ink, graphite and carving on ragpaper) MikeLandry is the Telegraph-Journal’sartsand cul- the past is at onceterribly familiar and blogatwww.judithmackin.ca, on twitter from the series ‘Cathexis.’ tureeditor.Hecan be reached at landry.michael@ deeply strange.And the source of that @judithmackin or email her:judith@ju- Photo: Larry GLawson/Courtesy of Pari nadimi GaLLery telegraphjournal.com. strangeness is little more, really,than dithmackin.ca. Quiteanhonour This week, the Charlotte Street Arts Centrehosts NewBrunswick’sfirst-everAb- original Artists’ ConferencefromTuesday, June 12, to Thursday, June 14. As part of theconference–presented in partnership with Saint Mary’sFirst Nation, the NewBrunswick College of Craft and Design, the UniversityofNew Brunswick and SaintThomasUniversity–the arts centreisopening the exhibition Honouring the Spirit of Sagatay,featuring the work of morethan adozen aboriginal artists from various First Nations communities around the province. An opening reception is being held Wednesday, June 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the centre. The conferencealso features presentations by the Canada Council for the Arts,the Arts Branch of the NewBrunswick Department of Culture, Tour- ism and Healthy Living as well as by artsnb,and severalartist talks by emerging and established First Nations artists,freeartsand traditional craft workshops and Clay/fur/horsehair masksbyValerie Jean, demonstrations,traditional chant- an NBCCD aboriginal visual arts student. ing and drumming,opening and closing ceremonies led by Elders Imelda Perleyand Maggie Paul, along with atreeplanting dedica- tion ceremony in honour of late Elder Gwen Bear (Sagatay). Afull conference schedule can be found on the Charlotte Street Arts Centre’swebsite at www. charlottestreetarts.ca. Youmay Birch bark porcupine quill baskets also contact the galleryat454- by Audrey SanipassfromIndian 6952. s Island First Nation. An acrylic painting by DozayChristmas, originally from Tobique First Nation..