My Winnipeg Project

The Buhler Centre where Plug In ICA is located.

My Winnipeg Project is a series of four consecutive exhibitions. It includes pieces from more than 100 artists that have lived in, worked in, or are somehow associated with Winnipeg. The show is being held at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, located in the Buhler Centre at 460 Portage Avenue. It is a gallery I had not checked out previously. The building itself is beautifully laid out and architecturally modern in design. As an added bonus, the ever delicious Stella’s Cafe and Bakery is inside it.

Walking into the gallery is like walking into a very small library. In the first room of the two-room exhibit are two shelves filled with Border Crossings magazine which is a quarterly art and culture magazine published in Winnipeg. There are also two tables lined with chairs in the middle of the room. They are scattered with books about Manitoba, Winnipeg and the artists featured in the exhibit. A small stage is set up in the corner of the room to transform the place into a cabaret on selected evenings.

Sigrid Dahle, the exhibition coordinator had a small write up about the show on one of the walls of the first room. She says she wondered why surrealist and dada influences were noticeable in the work of so many Winnipeg-based artists. She wrote that, “Winnipeg is a city with a troubled social and political history, a place in which the traumatic effects of colonialism, economic inequality and class warfare haunt the present. Surrealism and dada emerged in Europe between two World Wards a historic moment characterized by extreme political, social and economic turmoil and suffering –  but also by hope.” She goes on to say that this exhibition is meant to be a collection of images that ponders these ideas.

As far as the art itself, the first room had just two paintings in it. One was titled, Winnipeg Map, by Marcel Dzama, a well-known Winnipeg artist. It was a blown-up print of a water colour painting on lined notebook paper. There are funny illustrations representing both real and fictional Winnipeg landmarks and events. These include the “Giant Squid of the Red”, “The Royal Canadian Mint where Canadian money is made called loonies and toonies” (The illustration is of two giant bears gnawing on the Mint building, causing it to crack), “Los Bravos Motorcycle Gang headquarters”, and the “Tinkertown Tick”, complete with a scarf and reading glasses, to name just a few things on the map.

Marcel Dzama, Winnipeg Map, 2007
Photo from: http://plugin.org/exhibitions/2012/my-winnipeg-theres-no-place-home-0

The other room is filled with many different art pieces in different mediums related to Winnipeg. There were a lot of old photos by Lewis Benjamin Foote, a photographer that lived in Winnipeg from 1902 till 1957. The photographs by him often seem strange or extreme. An example is, Moving a House with Horses, in which a whole house is being moved by about twenty five horses.

Moving a House with Horses by Lewis Benjamin Foote, 1915
Photo from: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XhYLDmgE-mw/Ti81luUybVI/AAAAAAAAAJI/-wA0PpTWE8g/s1600/DSC03906_2.JPG

There are also a couple of photos of seances that happened in the early 20th century from the University of Manitoba Archives. An entranced woman is show with ectoplasm coming out of her mouth with a face appearing on the extoplasm.

Another piece was I Awoke to Find My Spirit Had Returned (from Plain(s) Warrior Artist), by Rosalie Favell. It shows a woman waking up in a bed, covered in a blanket with the signature Hudson’s Bay Company print on it. She is surrounded by people, most notably, Louis Riel, who is peering straight ahead from an outside window. The scene is a play on a scene from the movie, The Wizard of Oz. At the end of the film, Dorothy wakes up surrounded by her family and realizes that the great adventure she just had was just a dream. The artist in this work has photoshopped a woman in the Hudson’s Bay blanket and Louis Riel into the scene to make it seem purely Winnipeg-esque. I feel that this piece is about the women realizing that her spirit has returned once she knows she is back in Winnipeg her home. The title of the exhibition, There’s No Place Like Home, is also a play on a quote from The Wizard of Oz and the idea of being comforted by the place we have grown up in, which is in this case, Winnipeg.

I Awoke to Find My Spirit Had Returned (from Plain(s) Warrior Artist), 1999, by Rosalie Favell
Photo from: http://plugin.org/exhibitions/2011/plug-in-ica-co-presents-my-winnipeg-la-maison-rouge-pa

I really enjoyed this exhibit. It was interesting to see how different people view this city. The general themes were nostalgia, strangeness, mysticism, criticism of the city we grew up in as well as a love for it. These unusual themes makes the exploration of what this city stands for fascinating to say the least.

The project will be displayed in four consecutive segments. To get the full experience of the exhibition, I plan on checking out all four of the art displays!

The different chapters and show running times at Plug In ICA are:

My Winnipeg: There’s No Place Like Home, September 8 to October 7, 2012

My Winnipeg: Maps & Legends, October 27 to November 25, 2012

My Winnipeg: Winter Kept Us Warm, December 15 to January 20, 2013

My Winnipeg: The Artists’ Choice, February 9 to March 17, 2013

Keeping Walkways Classy

On my way to school every morning I pass by this set of crosswalk signs. The signs are located between Edmonton Street and Kennedy Street , on a side street connecting the Medical Arts Building to a parking garage on Edmonton Street.

On one side is your typical crosswalk sign, with a minimally designed image of a person walking. On the other side of the pole is a crosswalk sign that shows a well dressed man. This is unusual in terms of crosswalk signs that I’ve seen. I’m glad that there exists in Winnipeg, a crosswalk sign with an image of a man that looks like he stepped out of an episode of Mad Men.

Usual crosswalk signDapper man crosswalk sign

Arkadash Bistro and Lounge

(Note: Arkadash Bistro and Lounge is no longer open to the public.)

Last weekend I went to Arkadash Bistro and Lounge. The place specializes in Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Italian and French Mediterranean cuisine. Despite the exotic type of food they serve, local ingredients are often used in their menu items, which is always good to hear. A new fixture at 268 Portage Avenue in April of this year, Arkadash has been getting plenty of positive press and it is easy to see why.

When walking in to Arkadash, visitors are welcomed into a relaxing, modern, lounge atmosphere. The white interior is divided into lounge and restaurant seating with dark, hardwood floors. Lounge musicians crooned the night away from the speakers. One side of the place is painted with purple and green ‘evil eye’ designs. The ‘evil eye’, which is used in the Arkadash logo as well, is a depiction of an eye, usually in charms or small paintings. In Mediterranean countries, the ‘evil eye’ is traditionally thought to ward off an unwanted look from someone that was thought to cause injury or bad luck.

The front view of Arkadash Bistro and Lounge.
Photo from: http://www.arkadashbistroandlounge.com/about-winnipeg-restaurant.cfm

Arkadash has excellent complimentary water. You might think how is this water special compared to other types of water? Well, Arkadash used muddled cucumber in the water which gave it a very unique, refreshing taste. We also received a complimentary bread basket with a Moroccan spiced oil dipping sauce.

The wine I ordered was also very good. It was the Ventisquero Carmenere from Central Valley, Chile. Less heavy in consistency than most red wines, but still packed with robust, fruity flavour and spicy notes. My date got a ceasar which was made using garlic infused vodka, “Grandma’s pickle juice”, house spice blend, clamato juice and rimmed with a Moroccan spice blend. It was one of the best ceasars I’ve tried, in the top five for sure. I was impressed with the garlic infused vodka, which made this ceasar especially good.

As an entree I ordered the grilled Moroccan chicken which was boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated in Ras el Hanour spice mix. It was very tender and the sauce was savoury with a slightly sweet pomegranate flavour which was delicious. It came with a squash/pear mixture as a side. It also came with a scoop of bulgur, which is a type of grain and almost rice-like in taste. Two small flaky pastries with a tangy yogurt dipping sauce also made there way onto my plate and were very tasty.

Grilled Moroccan chicken with bulgur, squash/pear mixture, flaky pastries and tangy yogurt dipping sauce

My date got the special which was elk and scallops with saskatoon berry sauce. Like my entree, it came with the squash/pear mixure and he chose the bulgur for a side as well. The scallops were plump and excellently cooked. The saskatoon berry sauce paired nicely with the scallops and offered another winning sweet/salty combination. The elk was ordered very rare, but I was brave and took a bite of it. I had never tried very rare cooked meat before, and although I probably wouldn’t order meat cooked that way myself, I still enjoyed its rich flavours and sauce.

Elk and scallops with saskatoon berry sauce with sides of bulgur and squash/pear mixture

Arkadash was an great, unique place to visit and I would definitely go back. Arkadash is Turkish for ‘friend’ and you definitely find a friend in the place with its relaxing atmosphere, great service and excellently prepared Mediterranean dishes.

Deer + Almond

Deer + Almond opened this past April and I have been meaning to check it out for a while. Last Friday I finally wandered on over to 85 Princess Street. The place is small, but the food, service and atmosphere of the place packs a punch.

The decor is minimal, with deer horns scattered throughout the place and brightly coloured, abstract artwork. I recognized some pieces by local artist, Takashi Iwasaki, on one of the walls. It was nice to get a complimentary bowl of spiced, buttered popcorn as soon as we sat down. The menu does not have as many options as most menus, but along with the daily specials, it all sounded delicious. The prices are also very reasonable.

Check out the menu!

I ordered the “super secret can” of beer and out came a can of Hops and Robbers. It was an India Pale Ale with a heavy emphasis on the hops. For someone who doesn’t have an IPA too often, I really enjoyed this beer. It was not too strong and had a mellow flavour. We had sliced avocado on a toasted bun to start out with. It was quite good, with what I think may have been an oil and vinegar dressing on the avocado.

Sliced avocado on a toasted baguette

For the main dish, I went with the soft shell crab which came deep fried, as a slider in a mini burger bun. It was topped with with avocado, tomato and lettuce, with sides of beet chips and two chunks of corn on the cob. The crab was good and paired well with the tomato, lettuce and avocado. I have never had beet chips before, but I liked them. They tasted less salty and greasy than your average potato chip, with a slight beet flavour. The corn was out of the this world with an excellent smoky flavour and I am pretty sure I was drooling as I chowed down on the cobs.

Deep fried soft shell crab slider with tomato, lettuce, avocado and sides of beet chips and roasted corn on the cob

My date ordered the chicken that came with sprigs of cilantro, Chinese vinegar and topped with toasted chilies. I took a bite of it and it was some of the best chicken I have ever had. It had a complex, smokey flavour and was so tender it almost melted in your mouth. The portion was generous too, with about half of a chicken on the plate.

The service was attentive, without being overbearing and the chef even came out and asked us how everything was tasting. I wholeheartedly recommend this place for a date, intimate get together with friends or a place to let loose after work with fellow colleagues. It is definitely worth a visit!

Keeping it Riel

Art Barn at the University of Manitoba

I have lived in Winnipeg all my life. This combined with my natural tendency for exploration has made me get to know this city pretty well. One of the great things about the ‘Peg is that it is constantly evolving so it seems like there is always something new to check out or an exciting event going on. For the Creative Communications program at Red River College, we are required to create and regularly update a blog.

I decided to create this Winnipeg-themed culture blog to highlight some of the things that make this city great. I think Winnipeg holds a lot of hidden gems when it comes to places to eat, what to see, where to go, and what to do. A lot of people think that Winnipeg does not even come close to measuring up to other cities in this respect. However, I believe, that for its size, it has a lot going for it, you just need to know where to look.

I plan to make it my mission to give you updates on the latest and greatest when it comes to this secretly, surprising city.