Among the plethora of galleries that thrive in Montreal, few are proposing alternative exhibitions as regularly (and as briefly) as the Emporium Gallery.
Vice and Seripop recently stopped by the place for a weekend, and it’s Dave Arnold’s time to shine with his most recent show, Teenage Nudes.
Q – You are one third of the tricephalous entity behind the Emporium Gallery. How did you come to decide that your shows would only last one weekend?
A – We figured we’d run the shows with more of a rock concert type of format. It’s not like the Jonas Brothers come to town and play for a month. You either catch the show or you don’t. We set it up so there’s a «Jonas Brothers level of excitement» opening night on Thursday, and then the weekend is pure bonus for the sick and the old.
Q – Your exhibition, Teenage Nudes, depicts childhood iconography infused with eroticism. Do you think that children develop a certain erotic sensibility by reading comic books?
A – I guess it depends on the child. After I found out what sex was, EVERYTHING gave me a certain erotic sensibility. It helped that these girls were already wearing bikinis and kissing guys, but I don’t think it would have mattered. I used to beat off to the one picture of a lady wearing a bra in the Sears flyer. Things were getting pretty depraved before I found porn.
Q – Were you among the Archie readers who developed a favourite between Betty © Veronica?
A – I never understood the idea of choosing between them. The fantasy world that Archie created was based on the fact that, not only could you have the best of both worlds, but everyone in the neighbourhood was down with it. I found out years later that Archie was the only man who ever made this concept work.
Q – Where do you draw the line between good and bad taste when it comes to nudes?
A – I don’t draw the line. Everyone has these parts. It’s not a big deal. I feel like a penis is technically no different than a finger, and a vagina no different than a mouth. They’re just protrusions and openings on the human body, and everyone has them. I don’t know when genitals got such a bad rep.
Q – What’s next for you?
A – I’m going to go on tour with a plastic owl and rap around North America under the name Simcoe Street Mob, then come back to Montreal and do a show of paintings that are really close close-ups of various vaginas. I picture the outcome being about 50% fame, 50% fortune and, you know what? I’ll even sweeten the deal. In 2010, anyone in the world can redeem a copy of this interview for 1 free pink Cadillac, compliments of me and my fortune. Limit, 100 Cadillacs per person.
