Artspeak
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Allison Hrabluik lives and works in Vancouver. Her videos, sculptures, drawings, performances, and texts take a lyrical and humourous approach to narrative exploration. Often experimenting with voice of narrative construction: the fable-like quality of third-person perspective, the messy subjectivity of first-person narration, the humour and irony of allegory, magic-realist absurdity, and the wit in ‘rational’ argument. Allison’s work has been presented nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at Galerie Tatjana Pieters, Gent, Belgium; Western Bridge, Seattle, WA; The Vancouver Art Gallery; Mercer Union, Toronto; Video Pool, Winnipeg; The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Ontario; The SAAG, Lethbridge, Alberta; Market Gallery, Glasgow, The Western Front, and the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver.
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Director/Curator of Artspeak 2004–2010.
Exhibitions
PENELOPE!
ALLISON HRABLUIK
March 17–April 26, 2009
28 thoughts while writing your name:
I have a maddeningly terrible crush on you. Hello. I think you are remarkable. This is urgent. Soon we will meet. I’m not stalking you. I don’t even know you but I feel so close to you. I’ve heard a lot about you. Yes, we all know you did that. I think you should apologize. You are a very good friend. You have always been a very good friend. I’d like to get to know you better. Only admiration. Are you lonely? I saw you at the grocery store the other day. You are very smart, and even funny. I’ve never really liked you. I am not yelling at you. Sorry. You are so attractive. I bet you have a firm handshake. This is how I reach out. I hope you don’t know it’s me right away. I know we will never meet. I love your name. I have something very important to tell you.
On March 17, 2009, 435 envelopes were deposited into a Canada Post mailbox in Vancouver. Each envelope contained a large piece of paper on which the addressee’s name was written in capital letters.