Show Overview: Risk It For the Biscuit - NSCAD Gallery Show ft. Hind Legs

Words/Photos& Video by Dan Nightingale

By the time I arrived at the 2053 Gallery on Gottingen St, there was a great crowd gathered for Risk it For the Biscuit, show casing 12 up and coming Halifax artists.
(Jessica Ableson, Craig Budovitch, Colin Canary, Duncan Furguson, Megan Henry, Katie Hernandez, Halloway Jones, Hannah Schroter, Kristen Sharpe, Natania Sherman, Kristian Spears & Brianne Williams)

Sadly, the music start time had been pushed up from the advertised so we were unable to see Gigas, but managed to arrive just in time for Hind Legs.

Set up on the floor in the corner of the gallery, the band was appropriate for the setting, with quick, simple, and catchy songs that none the less hid a darker emotional aspect from front women Hally Jones, who showcased some of the work on display for me, including her own.

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Most of the pieces on display utilized traditional media, ie oil on canvas, but every piece was utterly unique, ranging from dark, camp fire lit scenes of unknown engagement, to collections of cheerleaders, to epic science fiction themed pieces.

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There was an interesting divide, at least to me, where some of the pieces could have hung in any gallery in the world, and some I instantly identified as unique to Halifax – this could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. I personally enjoyed the less localized works, but to each their own.
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Some of the artists also showcased less traditional mixed media pieces, which had less depth than some of the paintings, but left more open to the viewers interpretations. One piece consisted of two now very retro looking Game Boys with simple messages on their screens, though I was disappointed to see that they were merely printed on and not the product of home brew coding on the systems themselves.
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Over all it was a varied and interesting exhibit, all from young artists studying at NSCAD University. It goes with out saying that there are many, many talented artists in the Halifax region, and the those of the newest generation are of no exception to that talent. With art galleries quickly springing up as alternatives to closing music venues, here's hoping for plenty more mixed medium showcases in the future.

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