In the last few years, the young Nova Scotia–based artist David R. Harper has generated considerable intrigue with his unusual sculptures of embroidered, taxidermied animals. His past works have included a black bear embroidered with the tattoo-style portrait, a miniature RV surrounded by raccoons and squirrels, and a seal pup crouching next to a small-scale piano that sports hooves for pedals. Harper’s latest work, The Last to Win, on exhibit at Calgary’s Stride Gallery to May 9, continues this practice. Constructed while in residence at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, The Last to Win is a dark steed embroidered with an elaborate Victorian crest on one side. As AGNS curator Sarah Fillmore notes in her essay on the work, “This hybrid creature is offered up like a trophy,” with its combination of craft and concept addressing “power, masculinity and delicacy” all at once. (1004 Macleod Tr SE, Calgary AB)
