In the 1990s, the MacKenzie Art Gallery mounted a series of solo retrospectives showcasing the work of the Regina Five. The five artists — Art McKay, Ronald Bloore, Kenneth Lochhead, Ted Godwin and Douglas Morton — were hugely influential in the 1950s and ’60s as part of the international abstract expressionist movement.
All have now passed away. But it was nice that the MacKenzie was able to showcase their work to a new generation of art lovers while they were still alive.
During the latter part of the 1960s in Regina, a new generation of artists arose to succeed the Regina Five. Abstract expressionism had run its course by then, and these artists, which included Joe Fafard, Vic Cicansky, Wilf Perreault and David Thauberger, explored a new artistic direction with an emphasis on clay, folk art and the articulation of a regional/prairie identity.
Those artists are now getting on in age, and in recent years the MacKenzie, as it did previously with the Regina Five, has mounted major retrospectives to celebrate their talent. On Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. an opening reception will be held at the MacKenzie for another retrospective featuring work by Thauberger. That will be followed by a panel discussion on Saturday at 2 p.m. featuring Thauberger, along with Sandra Fraser, Timothy Long, Michael Hall, and Andrew Kear.
The exhibition is titled Road Trips and Other Diversions and will highlight Thauberger’s attachment to Saskatchewan and different artists who have influenced him over his career. After the exhibition closes at the gallery on Sept. 6, the work will tour nationally.
In addition to the MacKenzie exhibition, a companion show of paintings and silk-screens will be held at Slate Gallery (2078 Halifax St). The Slate show runs until June 6, and there will be an opening reception May 2 from 4-7 p.m.
The above acrylic painting, by the way, dates from 1984, and is titled Eclipse.
