TriciaMiddletonOn Saturday, Feb. 14 a companion exhibition to Material Girls opens at the Dunlop Gallery’s Sherwood Village location. It’s by Montreal artist Tricia Middleton, and the title is Joy Is Really Just Melancholy With a Really Strong Sense of Purpose.

That’s a mouthful, admittedly, and the show itself offers an equally jam-packed experience from both a visual and intellectual perspective.

Consistent with the overall theme of Material Girls, Middleton uses a ton of found and fabricated objects and materials to construct large-scale immersive installations (that’s a studio shot at left).

Because many of the materials she’s working with are remnants and cast-offs from our consumer-driven society, there’s plenty to think about related to ideas of growth, prosperity, wealth and sustainability.

The exhibition opens with a talk and reception at the Sherwood Village Gallery on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. The show will run until April 2.

Oh, and if you’re looking for something to do tonight, the Dunlop and its partners are hosting the second installment of its Independent Visions film series. The program is tied to Material Girls as well, and is titled Bad Feminism: Short Films and Videos by Feminists. It screens at the RPL Theatre tonight at 7 p.m. Admission is free.