
Michel Boutin (Prince Albert, SK)
June 24 – July 29, 2011
Opening reception: June 24 at 8pm
Great King Rabbit – Great King Rabbit follows the manufactured history of its eponymous character. Combining idioms of fine art and propaganda to depict past and present world leaders, Boutin explores ways in which history is constructed to perpetuate both personal and ideological power. The humor and candy-coloured pallette in his work draw the viewer into a discourse and reflection that is anything but innocuous, possessed as it is with the rigor and earnestness of socially aware satire. Boutin’s painted works are deeply influenced by the Saskatchewan funk movement, most notably the early works of David Gilhooly and Joe Fafard. They are a continuation of the irreverence present in French Canadien/Metis folk art.