April 17, 2020
How Katie Ohe Set Alberta Sculpture in Motion
If the video and these photos from the Esker feel weirdly familiar but not, it鈥檚 likely because you鈥檝e seen several of the 100+ pieces that were, until very recently, on display but are now locked away.
Praying for a boost in marks, what student hasn鈥檛 spun the irresistible shiny Zipper (a seven-foot-tall good-luck talisman), just outside U荔枝视频鈥檚 Science Theatres? Or marvelled over Earth Probe in the Research Park, the Garden of Learning in Swann Mall or Conic Turn in the Schulich School of Engineering complex?
U荔枝视频's campus art collection and Nickle Galleries proudly own these four pieces by sculptor Katie Ohe, LLD鈥01, but, what many of us haven鈥檛 seen is the whimsy and engineering that went in to so many of this 84-year-old鈥檚 other pieces. Apart from the Esker gallery鈥檚 first three tables that display delicate maquettes and smallish sculptures that depict the beginning of Ohe鈥檚 fascination with movement and figures, most of the other pieces invite you to spin, touch and twirl the mind-flipping kinetic marvels that invoke wonder and, invariably, a good laugh.
Ohe, who taught art in this province for 48 years, was born in Peers, Alta., in 1937 and began her formal arts education in the 1950s at what is now the Alberta University of the Arts, then trained in Montreal, New York, Italy and Japan.
鈥淜atie鈥檚 influence is vast,鈥 explains Naomi Potter, one of the show鈥檚 three curators, 鈥渨hich might explain why we have experienced a larger audience for this exhibit (10,000+) than for any other in our eight years of operation. Because we had to cut short this exhibit鈥檚 run is why we are extending the exhibit until Sept. 6, hoping we reopen this summer.鈥
Spanning six light-drenched rooms at the Esker, Ohe鈥檚 sculptures are not arranged chronologically but, rather, are organized according to size, motion, playfulness and reflectiveness.
In a room dubbed The Chrome Forest is where you鈥檒l find the beloved Zipper, shimmering and swirling just as it has on campus for decades. But the other five equally bold and stunning steel and chrome companions mean that the glittery wobble effect is breathtaking and conjures pure delight. If you鈥檙e wondering why all six chrome pieces are the same height, Potter explains that back in the 鈥70s, when Ohe made these pieces, the artist was restricted by the length of the chrome bath (seven-feet long) used by the machinist she worked with.
Such are the gems Potter shares on this guided tour which you can also see in the video.
Ohe鈥檚 whimsical world continues with a series of conical shapes that sport hoops around their 鈥渂ellies,鈥 and appear grounded by little metal feet. One of these abstract sculptures is called Mrs. Squat Lady (on loan from the Nickle) while another is a playful Mr. Up. Stare at them for a spell and they do begin to look like chubby little creatures or, then again, perhaps they鈥檙e meant to be graceful mini-sized Japanese temples?
Other rooms contain a series of bell-capped springs, polished gear- or puzzle-like pieces that spin and cast dazzling shards of light and the immensely playful Monsoon 鈥 a series of pudgy round white sculptures that spin and wobble in mesmerizing patterns.
Wanting to provoke touch, 鈥渆ven before you think you shouldn鈥檛,鈥 says Potter, 鈥渨as what Katie has always wanted,鈥 adding that one of the octogenarian鈥檚 seminal moments that connects moving space with form occurred when she was four or five. 鈥淭he story goes that Katie鈥檚 father was peeling a potato and somehow placed the spiral of the peeling on the stove which started to curl and move.鈥
While moments like the curl of a peel barely register with most of us, Ohe never forgot the beauty and mystery of that moment.
We are all hoping that when art galleries such as the Esker Foundation reopen you鈥檒l find time to tour this playful and tactile exhibit. The Zipper and its other three companions will return to their rightful homes on campus later in September, after the exhibit closes.