President Barack Obama's face with a super-imposed image of an alien. This piece drew reactions from Obama supporters and his critics. Photo © by Hailey Finnigan, VibrantVictoria.ca.

Banners, neon, fiber, and prints — all are to be had at Brainwash, Graham Landin’s latest show at The Fifty Fifty Arts Collective. The Fifty Fifty, an artist-run gallery on Douglas Street at Bay Street, is well suited to the show.  Brainwash’s large works, inspired by Landin’s recent return to the west coast, fill the gallery space well and are exposed out onto the street through the large windows.  Landin’s varied use of materials includes pieces on canvas banners, paintings, screen prints and fiber works.  The gallery, being a place of experimentation, shows off the different approaches towards Landin’s new mediums with their inspiration which stems from a book the artist read on the theory behind banners, a theory that encourages creativity in design and atypical canvases.

One piece that caught a lot of attention was a screen print of President Barack Obama with an overlapping green alien face printed on top. It received reactions from both Obama’s supporters and critics as viewers were quick to decide which side of the debate the artist was on, given that the work’s theme was to illustrate how Obama is unlike anything we have ever seen. And in keeping with aliens from sci-fi films, who knows what will come from the space ship hovering above? Whether it is peace or war, one can be assured something big will go down.

One wall displays pieces made from found fabrics and knit yarn, with each in some way appealing to Landin’s optical art sensibilities. A large three-dimensional piece immediately catches the eye as it stretches over a protruding shape that gives the feeling of an optical illusion through the use of colour and a geometric pattern.  In another spot an op-art-inspired piece, a worn jacket, hangs on a hanger with a stunning starburst appliqué sewn onto the back.

An otpical illusion through the use of colour, a geometric shape and a protruding object covered by yarn. Photo © by Hailey Finnigan, VibrantVictoria.ca.

A recurring reference is one of sports. Baseballs and team logos are featured prominently and one banner is even hung from a baseball bat. When asked about the sport references, Landin says they draw on many childhood memories and the wonder of youth, something he finds amazing. The honesty that young people put into their artwork is inspiring and this interest in the “good old days” contributes to a sense of humour, something Landin has incorporated into many of his previous works. One piece reads in big circus-style letters, “Bad days don’t exist, if you want it.” And before Landin came to British Columbia he was turning Montreal’s parking meters and garbage dumpsters into faces with the help of vinyl stickers.

The different media came together well as Landin’s themes and imagery can be seen in each new medium he tackles. If this latest showing is a hint of the artists work as inspired by his return, then one can only hope he plans to stick around.

Graham Landin’s show runs until October 31st and can be seen at the Fifty Firty Arts Collective at 2516 Douglas Street.

Hailey Finnigan is the author of phART, a Victoria-based arts blog.

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