Reviewed by Beth Stewart
While the main event for me was Brian Lambert’s “Songs for the Chameleon”, I happened on so much more during an evening out at the TAP Centre for Creativity.
“Songs for the Chameleon”, which was advertised as a symphony in 16 or 17 parts, featured Brian and Peter Lambert, A.K.A. “The Fabulous Lambert Bros.” Presented by Nach Dem Tode Studios, it offered a spectacle of storytelling and film set to live and recorded music.
The October 10 event was mesmerizing and deliciously surreal. It culminated in Brian Lambert’s stop-motion animation film, Forbidden Planet, about the Lambert Bros.’ great aunt, a bona fide Catholic nun, taking a stroll through hell.
(Oliver Page’s “The Crow”, Cone 6 Ceramic. Photo: Beth Stewart)
The same night offered the opening reception for Oliver Page’s “Raw Release” and the opportunity to see “Upstairs Downstairs”, TAP’s 2025 resident artist exhibition featuring Eric Drummond, Jason Gillis, Craig Guthrie, Anne Hamilton, Ian Indiano, Cecil Klassen, and Jessica Kliza.
“Raw Release”, mounted in LAB-203, featured installation work with related ceramics and paintings. It offered a bold display that invited introspection. Of note are several eye-catching ceramic birds uncomfortably caught in yarn (or entrails).
(Jason Gillis, “Watership Downtown” (detail), acrylic yarn. Photo: Beth Stewart)
“Upstairs Downstairs” graced the main gallery with work by the seven artists in a variety of media. Of note were works by Jason Gillis whose artist statement says his is exploring the brutality of human-animal relations, and Cecil Klassen, whose artist statement says he has been exploring the idea of symbiosis.
(Cecil Klassen’s “Everything Eats and is Eaten”, acrylic paint, drywall compound, MDF, 28 x 30 inches. Photo: Beth Stewart)
“Raw Release” runs to November 1; Upstairs Downstairs ended October 11; “Songs for the Chameleon” was but a two-night affair, but I suspect it will carry on, as it was too good not to.
For more information about the TAP Centre for Creativity, visit https://www.tapcreativity.org/
Reviewed by Beth Stewart
For information about Beth Stewart’s art, visit https://bethstewart.ca/
The Beat Magazine 2025 