Tracks: Mostly New Vessels
by Chris Pancoe
Winnipeg Art Gallery Shop
November 8th– December 1st
So often with craft based work there is a push and pull between ideas of form and function. If something is purely functional then why do we care what it looks like, and if something is beautiful or intriguing then why do we care if it is functional? I have always been inspired by artists whose work manages to do both. Chris Pancoe is one of those artists, and in his current exhibition Tracks: Mostly New Vessels (on display at the Winnipeg Art Gallery Shop), the discussion goes beyond the medium and into the subject of the work itself.
The exhibition features a variety of large sculpted ceramic vessels inspired by abandoned industrial areas in Pancoe’s neighborhood. Worn down buildings, industrial containers, water towers and storage receptacles provide the subject matter for the artist. The work references the play between this architecture’s original function and its current empty form. Many pieces feature animals perched on top of the sculptures, reclaiming these spaces.
Most sculptures sit on miniature wooden flats or boxes and for some of the pieces the artist has also created metal stands that reference electrical towers and provide an array of interesting shadows in the gallery. These details along with the use of materials such as salt, soda, wood, and steel, all underline the artist’s interest in everyday materials and add to the work’s industrial weathered appearance.
Slew, one of Pancoe’s two wall mounted pieces, consists of a rusty looking vessel attached to the wall on a wooden frame. At the bottom of the vessel there is a brass tap, and below that there is a miniature constructed landscape. The viewer can imagine that a drip from the tap has created this tiny ecosystem below. This play between life and decay is a constant throughout the exhibition.
According to the Oxford dictionary, a track is defined as a rough path or road, typically one beaten by use rather than constructed. This definition connects with Pancoe’s work, seemingly something that comes out of the everyday, created with ordinary materials and inspired by his surroundings, not appearing to be forced or have a heavy hand. His work inspires the viewer to examine the beauty and decay, as well as the beauty in decay in their own surroundings.
