Joanne
Campbell: "Art Seen" Otago Daily Times, New Zealand. February
13, 2003
Art
Seen
Conceptual artist Mitch
Robertson's exhibition at Blue Oyster explores the intertwined paths
of tourism, globalisation and consumerism. He has imposed a pattern
on seemingly unconnected images to focus attention on the nature
of tourism, especially the tourist.
His slide show presents
a series of 1950's vacation slides, bearing the repetitive message
"Some Days Are Better Than Others", handwritten in blue
marker pen in the sky. He seeks to embed the phrase in the viewer's
consciousness, therefore impacting their response to the world awaiting
them beyond the gallery space. Dunedin's weather certainly reinforces
his message.
He also displays holiday
footage from Loch Ness, Scotland. The ever-hopeful pilgrimage of
holidaymakers searching for the monster is, of course, unsuccessful,
but they nonetheless feel compelled to celebrate the experience
with a souvenir.
He further directs the
viewer's focus by altering a series of holiday postcards. A rope
has been added, connecting all the tourists in a cycle of experience.
Robertson's exhibition cleverly captures our ambivalence about tourism.
Our treasured individuality is subsumed beneath the label "tourist".
- Joanne Campbell
