Whole Lotta Love
Dave Allen
Lotta Antonsson
Brady Cranfield
Myfanwy MacLeod
April 12 to June 21, 2014
Closing Party Friday June 20 at 8pm
Publication Studio Vancouver is pleased to present Whole Lotta Love, a group exhibition featuring the work of Dave Allen, Lotta Antonsson, Brady Cranfield and Myfanwy MacLeod. The exhibition looks at the relationship between art and publishing through the unlikely lens of rock and roll and in particular, the music of Led Zeppelin.
Scottish artist Dave Allen’s artwork addresses myths and history within music via a variety of media including drawing, sound, video and installation. Whole Lotta Love includes Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell, two prints showing the guitar tablature for the two songs. These prints were originally made in 1997 as a limited edition for the hugely influential but now defunct Frankfurt art book publisher Revolver Archiv fur Actual Kunst. Also on view are Allen’s artist book Song Drawings 1996-2005 and vinyl records For Those About to Rock and Cannon to the Hammer of the Gods.
Lotta Antonsson’s multi-disciplinary approach to art making ranges from text-based works to collage and installations and makes use of images connected to the social, political and artistic movements that emerged in the 1960s and ‘70s. For the exhibition Publication Studio produced a new version of Antonsson’s badge Whole Lotta Love in yellow in an edition of 300. Antonsson, growing up in Sweden and learning English, recognized her name in Whole Lotta Love and formed a special bond with the song. The work is available for free in the gallery.
Brady Cranfield’s Moby Dick is a pen and ink version of the famous sperm whale drawn across two bass drum skins. The drum skins are manufactured by Ludwig, the brand used by legendary drummer John Bonham, who in the Led Zeppelin song Moby Dick engages in a long extended improvised solo. Bonham was also known for a fast double bass drum style of playing using only one drum. Cranfield is Vancouver-based artist and drummer.
The exhibition Whole Lotta Love is inspired by Myfanwy MacLeod’s artist book of the same name published by Publication Studio in 2011. Macleod’s book presents the reader with an X-rated illustrated songbook or a drawn ‘cover version’. The exhibition includes both the artist book and a set of limited edition silkscreen prints. The artist blends popular culture, history and satire to investigate social power. MacLeod currently has a major retrospective exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 12 to 5 pm.
Publication Studio Vancouver
222 East Georgia Street
Vancouver BC
Canada V6A 1Z7
psvancouver@publicationstudio.biz
www.bookmachine.ca