Immony Men in Halifax

Just as British comedian Ricky Gervais reinterpreted the drama and drudgery of 9-to-5 life to small-screen acclaim with BBC comedy hit The Office, Montreal artist Immony Men takes a similar, Staples-friendly tack towards crafting amusing contemporary art in his exhibition “Taking Care of Business.” Forsaking BTO’s classic rock guitar riffs for a quieter, more tedious task, Men has created a multi-wall mural with hundreds of customized Post-it notes. The result: an image of—you got it—an office, crafted out of that most ubiquitous and “crucial” of office materials. But Men’s not just about product; he’s about process too, continuously expanding the work from 9 to 5 daily for the duration of the show. Does this mean everyone can start counting their own chained-to-the-desk hours as studio practice? Men doesn’t venture that far (nor does he reveal whose pressed metal cabinet he may have nabbed the notes from). But he does still shed a bit of a different light on all those fluorescence-tinged mornings and afternoons that most of us call a work life. (1588 Barrington St., Halifax NS.)

www.khyberarts.ns.ca

 

Immony Men “Taking Care of Business” 2008 (installation view detail, work in progress)