We All Fall Down

September 3, 2011 - March 7, 2012

Gordon Rayner, The Burning Bush, 1988, acrylic on canvas, 196 x 156 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Gift of Mr. Irving Zucker, 1993.

Curated by Barbara Hobot and Cindy Wayvon

Opening Reception:  Friday September 23 at 8 pm
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We All Fall Down Catalogue

This exhibition of works from KW|AG's permanent collection presents images of destruction and decay, countering the common drive to avoid signs of aging or natural decline. This selection of photographs, paintings, drawings, and sculptures prompts us to consider why artists would choose to depict moments of frailty, deterioration, or death instead of potential or vitality. 

Some of the works in this exhibition conjure both vitality and decline simultaneously. While observing ruins, for example, one cannot help but imagine how the subject appeared in its prime. Others look to themes of destruction as a means of creating a different kind of aesthetic, one that is beautiful, albeit unsettling. 

The permanent collection itself is an example of how we strive to preserve objects in their original state, protected from harmful light, humidity, pests, and other naturally occurring elements. Our personal appearance, a fond memory, a national monument, are all examples of things that evade our attempts to keep things as they are, or as we remember them to be. We All Fall Down can be seen as a gasp of air in an otherwise collective holding of our breath. Like the popular children's song, Ring Around the Rosie, from which the title of this exhibition is taken, the works in this exhibition pay tribute to the moments in life that we often turn away from, and are a reminder that despite our best efforts, things do not stay the same.