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Geoffrey Farmer: Forgetting Air/ Gareth Moore: As a Wild Boar Passes Water.

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GEOFFREY FARMER: FORGETTING AIR (1)/ GARETH MOORE: AS A WILD BOAR PASSES WATER

Witte de With, Rotterdam

It's no secret that Vancouver artists enjoy special status in Europe. Recent programming at Rotterdam's Witte de With provides evidence of this phenomenon. Sandwiched between last year's Brian Jungen exhibition and an upcoming show of Ian Wallace's work are simultaneous exhibitions by Geoffrey Farmer and Gareth Moore. (2) While this year has been particularly good to Farmer, with a mid-career survey at Montreal's Musee d'art contemporain and his inclusion in the Sydney Bienniale, this exhibition is still a remarkable achievement for the relatively young artist, whose profile in Europe may not be as established as some Canadians think. Moore, on the other hand, is still making a name for himself both in Canada and abroad, having spent the last two years as an international transient for Iris Uncertain Pilgrimage project (2006-07). Their alignment within this prestigious institution comes as no accident--both share an affinity for eccentric round and manipulated objects that sit precariously within the gallery space and which frequently shift contexts over extended periods of time. These two exhibitions gave me--also a Vancouverite travelling abroad--an opportunity to...