ARTIADE 2004 and Celebrating Cultures

Four Canadian artists, sculptors Shayne Dark and J. Mac, and installation artists Boja Vasic and Vessna Perunovich, who have joined forces to participate as the Stretch Collective, will represent Canada in ARTIADE 2004: Olympics of Visual Arts. This international exhibition will be held in Athens from August 12 to September 29, 2004, in conjunction with the Olympic Games. It will feature 172 artists from 78 nations, illustrating the cultural identity of the nations participating in the Olympic Games and exploring a deeper understanding of their cultures through the selected artists’ visual representations.

J. Mac, known for her use of cast fibreglass and rope sculpture, will exhibit Silent Memory, a sculpture depicting the personification of strength overcoming adversity. J. Mac’s work has been exhibited throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Recent exhibitions include the First Beijing Biennale 2003 in China, the Biennale d’Arte Contemporanea in Rome and the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea in Florence, Italy.

Shayne Dark will exhibit Angel, an installation of wood, pigment and steel. Shayne has participated in numerous exhibitions in Canada and the United States since he began his career in the mid-1980s. His work evokes the contrast between the urban and natural worlds. Shayne was featured in Sculpture magazine’s November 2002 edition in the article “Shayne Dark: The Geometry of Defense.”

Boja Vasic and Vessna Perunovich, as the Stretch Collective, will exhibit a new installation project in Athens. Their work merges sculpture, installation, video performance and photography to explore migration, diaspora and transience. Their work Crossings is currently touring Europe and will be shown in Belgrade, Berlin, Rome and Tirana. Recent exhibitions include the 8^th Bienal de La Habana in Cuba, the Tirana Biennale in Albania, the XII Bienal Internacional de Arte de Vila Nova de Cerveira in Portugal, the VI Vrsac Biennale in Serbia and the IV Cetinje Biennale in Montenegro, Yugoslavia.

The Fire Weavers, a skilled performance troupe from Vancouver, are also bringing their unique blend of innovative theatrics to the streets of Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games. They will participate in Celebrating Cultures, an international street performance festival organized by the Municipality of Athens. The Festival will run throughout the period of the Olympics, and the Fire Weavers will perform from August 24 to 28 in the main squares of Athens’ historic centre.

Using a range of awe-inspiring tools, the Fire Weavers will dazzle audiences with their elaborate displays of skill, capturing their hearts and imagination with their creative use of fire-breathing, fire-swords, twirling fire hula hoops and costumed stilt walkers. Fire is an age-old symbol of the light that burns within us; it embodies the harmony and goodwill that represent the ideals of the Olympic Games. It is paramount to the telling of this engaging story, which celebrates the journey of life and transcends all language and cultural barriers. Costumed dancers will represent Canada’s dramatic elements of nature, the Spirit of Winter, the Great Canadian Bald Eagle, the Water Muse, the Fire Nymph and the Spirit of the Forests, in a magical street performance.

ARTIADE 2004, August 12 to September 29