It’s worth braving the heat to head over to Galerie Division to check out the group exhibition Images of Romantic Distress and Consolation with artists Shawn Kuruneru, Vincent Lafrance, Katie Lyle, Natalie Reis, and Lorraine Simms.

The aim of the show is to discover if romantic visual imagery can have the same emotional impact as a romantic novel or a love song. But don’t expect any sappy Valentine’s motifs – these artworks all come with a twist. My favourites of the show are Lorraine Simms’ tragi-comic paintings featuring human/animal amalgams. Her large work Chicken leaves you wondering. Are we looking at a battered sports mascot? Is this an out-of-work actor reduced to impersonate poultry? An evening of fetish gone wrong? In my book, her expressive work is as good as any Barry White tune.

Galerie Division
space 311
Shawn Kuruneru, Vincent Lafrance, Katie Lyle, Natalie Reis, Lorraine Simms
Images of Romantic Distress and Consolation
exhibition period: July 3 – August 2, 2008
www.galeriedivision.com