At the Oasis: Michael Perks wants his art to spark conversations at the Calgary Stampede

article content

Two years ago, Michael Perks came across a huge piece of farm machinery on his uncle’s land outside Nanton.

Announcement 2

article content

For an artist working in metal, it got his creative wheels spinning. It was a 1971 swather. Also known as a swather, it’s a huge, self-propelled agricultural implement used to harvest hay. He had already lived a long life on the farm. So his uncle let Perks drive him from the field to his studio near Okotoks, which took a lot of effort. But it eventually became what will become the centerpiece of Perks this year at the Calgary Stampede Western Art Show.

“It was the piece I went back and forth, to get out of the (madness) of the world,” says Perks. “I don’t like working on giant projects all the time. I like to get in them and get out. I took this agricultural machine and little by little I was removing metal from it. So if I have a flat panel, I’ll crop it until I have a wheat scene or until I have a canola scene. The goal was always that you could see through the machine. It gives the machine a kind of fragility.”

Announcement 3

article content

Perks calls it The Fragility of Agriculture, and hopes viewers will think about where our food comes from and how vulnerable these sources can be. Perks has been exhibiting and selling art at the Calgary Stampede since 2011, when he earned a win for Best New Artist. Those who have followed his work for more than a decade may be disappointed if he doesn’t come up with a giant, thought-provoking piece to anchor his annual showcase. In 2016, he exhibited Social License, a map-shaped sculpture of Alberta containing decades of license plates dating back to 1917 that had been inherited by his maternal great-grandfather. On top of it was an oil drilling tower, which he hoped would make people think about the importance of the oil and gas industry in the development of the province. In 2021, the centerpiece of it was a bird with a two-meter long arching spiral of feathers made from recycled aluminum.

Announcement 4

article content

“I want people to think a little bit about what they’re looking at,” he says. “It’s the way I like to play it, I think that’s the best way to put it. I like the art where you look at it first and go ‘Ooh…shiny, shiny!’ Then a conversation starts. I want something to talk about.

Of course, the idea comes first. Only later does Perks and his wife, Claire, have to figure out the logistics. At the time of this interview, The Fragility of Agriculture was in tatters. They were to be transported to Stampede and the Western Oasis and assembled. Since the piece is seven meters long, seven meters wide and four meters high, the logistics of installation will be complicated.

“The Stampede is bringing a bigger zoom boom,” says Perks. “The main piece weighs about 3,000 pounds. It comes on a 26 foot trailer and I am seven inches below Alberta highway clearance. That was the other thing, I had to look up a lot of traffic rules about transportation. I need the regulations to lower this piece. That’s the big part, the main body. The windrow is entering another trailer, the actual implement. It is placed and then we lift it, put the tires. Putting it together is going to take a couple of hours.”

ad 5

article content

Artist Michael Perks' new centerpiece, the Fragility of Farming exhibition at the Western Oasis at the BMO Centre.  Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia
Artist Michael Perks’ new centerpiece, the Fragility of Farming exhibition at the Western Oasis at the BMO Centre. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Photo by Darren Makowichuk /DARREN MAKOWICHUK/Postmedia

Perks is used to working on a large scale. Increasingly, much of his work has been in public art. Earlier this year, the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School presented a collaborative piece between the artist and indigenous painter Keegan Starlight. The land survey statue, in the form of a giant headdress, stands outside the school entrance. Perks also created a 11,000-kilogram 3D version of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology logo to help commemorate the school’s centennial.

But the Calgary Stampede is usually where Perks unveils a year’s worth of new work: pieces of various sizes that often feature 3-D renderings of waterfalls, mountains and other outdoor scenes.

“This is a big part of my year,” he says. “This is my January 1, my New Year. My year is based on the Stampede because that is when I and many other artists reveal our art for the year. I work all year on different pieces and I keep them. The first day of Stampede, the preview night, is the first time people will see my art all year.”

ad 6

article content

Perks is among 46 artists this year who will display and sell their art in the air-conditioned climates of the Western Oasis at the BMO Center. In 2021, the pandemic limited the artists who could participate. Unlike in recent years, all the participants were Canadian. Still, some artists had their best year ever in terms of sales, says Western Showcase president Lisa Douglas.

“There are a lot of theories as to why that might be, whether it’s because of a lack of travel and increased funding being used in other areas you might not have thought about or just because people are more at home,” he says. . “So I think they hope to build on that momentum from that. Even if people are returning to a more normal life. I think everyone has had a little bit of reframing. For our artists, I feel like there’s some excitement and excitement in the air.”

ad 7

article content

Sales, of course, are the main focus for artists. But the show has also been instrumental in expanding the parameters of Western art. In 2011, Perks’ occasionally abstract works seemed like a radical break from what was considered traditional in the genre.

“We walk a little bit of the line between traditional and contemporary, but we try to stay true to those roots,” says Douglas. “But if you walk around the room, I would say that there are pieces that will appeal to everyone if people open their minds that it is more than just a Western art show. It’s a selection of fine art: a variety of mediums, a variety of styles, and I think something that would appeal to everyone.”

The Calgary Stampede art show takes place July 8-17.

Announcement 1

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil discussion forum and encourages all readers to share their thoughts on our articles. Comments can take up to an hour to be moderated before appearing on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications – you’ll now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there’s an update in a comment thread you follow, or if a user you follow comments. visit our Community Principles for more information and details on how to adjust your E-mail settings.

Leave a Comment