For the Social Butterfly: Patriotic and SOUNDplay

Patriotic, a dvd installation, is like synchronised swimming set to Celine Dion music, with boy scout uniforms worn instead of trunks. Beyond being a boy band, Toronto video artist Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay has expanded his roster to include more than his usual multiple self; Pascal Lievre, a Paris performance artist joins him in a Patriotic send up to the U.S. Patriot Act. While hi-jinks are sure to ensue, my experiences with Nemerofsky Ramsay's work suggests to me there will be something deeper underneath all the superficial camp. Opening reception is this Saturday, September 23, 1- 5pm at Vtape , 401 Richmond St. W in suite 452. Nemerofsky Ramsay will be presenting an artist's talk at 2 pm. Exhibition runs until October 14th.

The SoundPLAY festival is now in full swing for their fifth anniversary. The first round of open receptions starts tonight, the 21st of September at 7pm, for the Canadian Videomusic Screenings in the Process Gallery at Gallery 1313, 1313 Queen Street West. Screenings are free and run until October 15th. Somehow, I doubt "videomusic" is synonymous with "music videos", and I'm intrigued by the flip of this new genre.

I'm excited about this festival's tribute to sound, as one of the senses that has often been neglected in the artworld is finally having its say. The rest of the festival line-up includes a whole gamut of sound related works from sculptures to screenings to performances, and runs until October 25th.