Address
The Power Plant - 231 Queens Quay W, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8
We collaborate with artists to offer new artworks, editions, exhibition catalogues, publications, and unique merchandise—available at The Power Plant’s shop.
Shop Now
“We have the urge to conserve, to restore, to maintain, to protect. There is a certain anxiety in this relationship with objects, and perhaps the words of Yourcenar or the Tao Te Ching are freeing in this regard, that through the passage of time, things take their course. This may lead to imperfections but perhaps it may also lead to something other, something that wouldn’t have been possible had the original weathered the passage of time unchanged.“ — Clara Halpern, p. 64
The 6th in the Power Plant Pages series, this publication was produced in conjunction with Maria Loboda’s exhibition Some weep, some blow flutes presented at The Power Plant from 15 October to January 2, 2017.
Through her works in installation and sculpture, Maria Loboda investigates the codes and meanings attributed to objects. Juxtaposing historical narratives with contemporary interpretations relating to certain objects and materials, Loboda addresses the concept of meaning and how it is shaped over time. Her practice draws inspiration from archaeology, anthropology, and linguistics, and often engages with them in poetic ways.
In her exhibition, Some weep, some blow flutes, Loboda looked at tetrapharmakos, a compound also known as the “four-part remedy” of wax, tallow, pitch and resin, used by Roman-era Epicureans as a set of recommended remedies to avoid anxiety and heal the soul. The works in the exhibition focused on health and healing practices across cultures, leading Loboda to formal explorations of both language and materiality. In one installation, the entryway to the exhibition has been plastered with minerals found in health supplements; in another work, the sound of a yawn has been spelled-out in bent steel, stretching along and conforming to the wall.
The book includes extensive installation views, an essay by Clara Halpern, and a conversation between Maria Loboda and Anthea Hamilton.
Product Information
Publisher: The Power Plant
Year: 2017
Pages: 96
Illustrations: Colour
Dimensions: 15cm x 19.5 cm, hardcover
Product: Publication
The Power Plant is Canada's leading art gallery devoted exclusively to contemporary art by artists from Canada and the world. We aim to share art with wider audiences through free admission to our exhibitions, public programs, and educational publications.