Provocative protesis The street-wise EDMOND MELNYCHUK at Pitt Gallery, 36 Powell St., unti! Dec. 21. Wed.-Sat.: 1-6 p.m. DMOND MELNYCHUK is an artist with the rather unwieldy artifice of a street mugger. ART REVIEW He iumbers up to face his vic- tims head-on, bashes them unceremoniously over the head, and fleeces them body and soul. Accosting the subject matter of his art in this way, with a deliber- ately callous roughness and no pretension to finesse, he generates mixed-media works that are both ingeniously assembled and brutal- ly direct. Melnychuk’s victims are pretenders to the contemporary tion of the Gulf War. ft pictures the giant figure of the Roman emperor who, complete with flagrantly sensual red lips, languishes under his own Arc de Triomphe. A metaphor for the obscene conquest of the Western Alliance, this figure is formed out of stuffed burlap, painted in garish gold. The emperor wears a copper armband with the heraldic coat- of-arms of the Ontario Provincial Police, and a wristlet made out of steel ball-bearings glued to a sheet-metal band. Fis red toga with gold trim, in its former life, might have been a curtain the Salvation Army did not want, and the insignia on the brooch that holds it all together consists of metal figures detached from old bow!ling-competition trophies. The arched construction that houses this gaudy and irreverent Caesar is cut from plastic and metal discards, and painted in the colors of triumphant royalty: scarlet, blue, and goid. Tiny colored plastic beads rain down into the arched space behind this figure, like ticker-tape on a New York parade. Suspended from the centre of the arch behind Octavian’s head is a smal! mangled victory trophy, NEWS photo Paul McGrath Victory 1991, Emperor Octavian's Pride, (96" x 96”) by Edmond Meinychuk and Elsa Smith. thrones of political power. Interested in manufacturing ma- tetial metaphors for human skin and everything including the flesh and bones concealed beneath it, he shapes tin foil, old comforters, colored plastic beads and a variety of other discarded items into vig- orously satirical portraits. Painting over these materials, unflinchingly retrieved from our throwaway environment, he then giues and staples them to piywood frames. The results are contemporary reliefs with rich textural qualities and an unmistakable significance. This is clearly protest art that is unabashedly course and witty at the same time. The centrepiece of the show is a work completed in collaboration with Elsa Smith. Victory 1991, Emperor Octa- vian’s Pride, is a large (96" x 96") piece done in mock-commemora- Theatre seeks CENTENNIAL THEATRE is looking for artists interested in displaying their work in the theatre lobby. The dispiay area is restricled to larger works because of height and paper flags of all the Allied nations including Canada, and a number of rat-traps. As I suggested above, Melnychuk pulls no punches. He charges into things with alt limbs flailing. The results are both funny and provocative. His portrait of the Queen, to take another example, is a mock- icon of the British/Canadian monarch. Her lofty grimiace is formed out of stuffed foil, while the contours and shaJows of her face are created by countless glistening colored beads. These are held in place by spiderweb-thin threads of hardened glue. On top of the Queen’s head is real hurnan hair and a crown made of torn fabric, orange- colored wire, and, once again, bowling-competition trophy fig- ures, This wonderfully insolent bust is artists’ work vision access. Anyone interested may call Ellen Golt at 984-4484 for more infor- mation, of send a profile with sample photo to 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, 7M 3L1. artistry of Edmond Melnychuk placed against a red velveteen curtain that looks as if has been in perpetual use from the days of the British Empire in india. The faint-hearted will probably want to switch to another channel after seeing this show, but for those with more than a litte sinew, the payoff is well worth it. Melnychuk’s tactile, gritty, rough-hewn work is the mock- iconography of street-wise artistry. CHRISTMAS SERVICES St. Clement’s Anglican Church 3460 institute Road (Lynn Valley) Sunday, Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. — Nine Lessons and Carols Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. — Carols, Lessons ani Communion at Hl p.m. — Carols and Christmas Communion Wednesday Oec. 25 at 10 a.m. — Carols and Christmas Communion When looking for the perfect gift, | it’s wise to consider who'll be receiving it. When you’re looking for the perfect gift for those you love, consider the one that lasts a lifetime. Bring them back to church and let them hear about God’s perfect gift to each and every one of us. Show your spirit. Come back to church. The Anglican Church For more information call 684-6306 or outside Vancouver 1-800-665-1105 NORTH ST. FRANCIS-IN-THE-WOOD 4773 South Piccadilly Ru. 922.3534 ST. AGNES 530 East !2th Street ST. CATHERINES 1058 Ridgewoed Drive 987-0432 985.0606 SHORE. CHURCHES ST. MARTINS 195 Base Wind.or ST. RICHARDS 1398 West Sth Sereet A N G L I C A N ST. CLEMENTS 3400 Institute 985-4418 ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST 220 West 8th Street 986-1151 ST. SIMONS 1384 Deep Cave Road 985-5919 929-5350 987-0314