Local artist Chris Simonite has added his own twist to an iconic Canadian wildlife film series in his latest exhibition, Hinterland WTF? at 226 Main Street Gallery.
The works in the exhibition are inspired by Hinterland Who’s Who, a series of television vignettes created in the early 1960s by the Canadian Wildlife Service to introduce Canadians to local wildlife. However, by painting uncanny, distorted portraits of animals staring directly at the viewer, Simonite’s work reverses the roles of the observer and the observed to encourage dialogue on climate change and conservation.
“[One] idea in the show is animals that are caught on wildlife cameras, kind of just looking, and the idea is they’re sort of looking into the camera going, ‘WTF, what are you doing to my home?’” Simonite explained.
Simonite holds degrees in history and fine arts from U of M and an MFA from the University of Ottawa. He described his art style as Cubo-Weirdism and cited influences from Pablo Picasso and contemporary American artist George Condo.
“I started painting people the way Picasso might have painted them, where their eyes are askew and their noses are in the wrong place […] but paint them realistically,” the artist stated. The result is recognizable yet fragmented portraits that are almost startling.
While Simonite described himself as a painter, his work is influenced by cartooning. He is also a former Manitoban staff member who drew cartoons for the publication in the early 2000s. Many of Simonite’s works reference Canadian pop culture and are laden with irony. For example, “Thou Land of Hope for All Who Toil! (The Arrest)” depicts a mountie from the TV show Due South placing a moose in handcuffs.
“Thou Land of Hope for All Who Toil! (The Arrest)” by Chris Simonite. Credit: Boris Tsun Hang Leung / The Manitoban.
“With Glowing Hearts (Polar Bear on Tim Hortons sign)” shows a roaring polar bear floating on a Tim Hortons sign — a humorous yet sobering reminder of the consequences of global warming and habitat loss.
“I imagined […] in a completely dystopian world where there’s no ice left, all that’s left for this guy to float on is an errant Tim Hortons sign that he found,” Simonite said.
“With Glowing Hearts (Polar Bear on Tim Hortons sign)” by Chris Simonite. Credit: Boris Tsun Hang Leung / The Manitoban.
Many of the paintings’ titles are taken from the Canadian national anthem, he noted, evoking themes such as Canada’s national identity and land stewardship.
Simonite’s commitment to satire and environmentalism extends beyond the visual arts. He also performs as Stan Dickie, a “cowpunk superstar” alter ego from the southern U.S. who followed a lady up to Canada.
“He lives here, and he doesn’t like the cold. So he became convinced that global warming was real, but he wanted it to continue. The song’s called ‘Heat It Up,’ it’s basically making fun of people who just don’t care,” Simonite explained.
“I think [satire] also speaks to people who might be sitting on the fence. You’re not going to change anyone’s mind who’s a Trumper, but someone who thinks, ‘Well, is Trump right, or are these other people right?’ I think satire can have an effect.”
Above all, Simonite hopes his art will provoke thoughts and in turn, inspire actions.
“I think the best I can do is get people thinking about the issue,” he said. “Maybe they do something small just because they saw the show.”
Hinterland WTF? concluded on June 28. To learn more about the artist, visit simonite.com.
