Clark Ferguson
In Search of Desire: Dead Meat and The Ratspectacla
January 9 through January 31.
Open Space presents screenings by Clark Ferguson, a Saskatoon based artist who fuses cinematic histories—particularly horror and sci-fi genres—with adolescent humour. Two recent works, Dead Meat and The Ratspectacla open January 9 and continue to January 31.
Ferguson examines issues of gender, sexuality and common existential questions his eccentric narratives. In his newest work Dead Meat, a young man travels to the desert to experience an epiphanic moment. Ferguson’s protagonist wanders through a shape-shifting terrain of miniatures and low-fi blue screens, implicating the spectator in a DIY spirit quest played out in a wilderness of illusion.
The Ratspectacla is the type of ‘spectacle’ that capitalizes on society’s generalized conceptions of the morbid and unknown to create anticipatory and visceral anxiety. Ferguson toys with the spectator. Whether it is the horror genre, the freak-show, or just the promise of abnormalities, Ferguson “elongates” suspense to the point of absurdity. Is the narrative’s climax enhanced by the spectator’s individually performed ‘play-terror’ or is it the cathartic release of relieved disappointment?
Meet Clark Ferguson on Friday evening, January 9. Ferguson will talk about his work at 7:30 pm with a reception at 8:00 pm. Everyone is welcome. Admission is free.
Clark Ferguson is a Saskatchewan based visual artist. His practice utilizes video, photography, performance, print-media, and installation to create experimental, eccentric projects. Ferguson sets self-imposed limitations that define the way his work is developed and produced. These ‘impositions’ are, in effect, a performative aspect of his work and shape the final product.