Brain Child -Allyson Mitchell

Sunday afternoon I was rushing to go get my haircut (pictures to come; I'm really sick and look like death these days. When my color comes back I'll post) and I screeched to a halt as I pasted La Centrale gallery on St. Laurent. I saw dozens of brightly painted little figurines lined up on the floor of the gallery. I looked closer and they were little girls in bonnets faced toward this huge knit brain like object at the front of the room. I had to go in.

I asked the curator if I could take pictures and grabbed a pamphlet as well. Here’s a little recap of story behind the exposition:

The artist Allyson Mitchell is a teacher of Cultural and Women's Studies at York University in Toronto and has been involved in art representing feminism and pop culture for a little over ten years now. This exhibition, Brain Child, takes ceramic figures and represents ‘femme savants, brilliant women whose genius-sized brains out-size their bonnets, all the while exuding innocence and naïveté.’ They are all placed in a swirled line growing in size ‘marching’ towards this huge knit ‘brain’ hanging from the ceiling. As a whole, this piece of art is supposed to represent the ‘female intellect, seen as infantilized and submissive, by presenting an alternative vision – a secret society of brilliant women in the midst of enacting a sacred ritual.’

It’s an interesting view, and a more interesting exhibition. I took a few fast pictures, sacrificing precious haircut time so I could post them. I really wish I had had more time, each figurine was painted differently and they were different shapes. I'll try to make it back this coming weekend.

Enjoy. Xo.