Review – Canvases

Created by Ellen Maiorano, Canvases was an interesting exploration of woman as subject and man as artist… Or was it? A combination of contemporary dance, live art and video art, this performance piece was well-paced and specific while remaining open to interpretation.

The show began with man, the artist, slowly painting a black letter each onto the bare backs of four women. A vintage video clip played on a TV side-stage with dating advice for young women on how to be popular with young men and be asked on lots of dates (but stay classy by avoiding a trip to their car’s backseat). Painting the letters S, L, U, T was a predictable choice but, nevertheless, the combination of the kitsch clip with the possibilities of the paint on women’s bodies made for a suspenseful opening.

Throughout the performance the women built dance sequences from pedestrian actions that became more abstract contemporary movements. The engaging simplicity of the action and the effortless focus of the performers allowed the audience to find their own meaning, bringing to mind gender politics in the (art) world. The collage-projection-over-projection style video clips added a clarifying layer to the world of the piece.

There were a few cliche moments (the women being stabbed with a red-paint brush, for example), but the idea at the core of the piece birthed some original images. Disappointingly, the piece was not very messy. The messiest moment was when the painter accidentally dropped some black paint onto the carpet next to the stage (maintaining impressive composure all the while). I wanted more colour, more visual artistry to match the level of thought and effort that had been put into the video collage and choreography of the dancers. There were so many drop-sheets for so little chaos!

Canvases was an inventive exploration of woman’s body as a canvas – if only that canvas had been painted a little more!