Toronto lifestyle blogger Christina Cheng hit the proverbial nail on her July 13 blog post, “DIRECTOR OF REVOLVER GALLERY EDUCATES TORONTONIANS ON THE ANDY WARHOL REVISITED: A MIRROR FOR TODAY EXHIBITION.” Cheng interviewed Ryland Behrens, Director of Revolver Gallery, on all things Warhol at the exhibition.
“It’s certainly more than just an art exhibit,” said Behrens. With an exhibition of 130 original Warhol works on rotation, Behrens stated that the, “curating of the exhibition has been done in such a way that is both thematic and chronological in order to contextualize the artist’s trajectory and societal impact.”
Located in the trendy Yorkville neighborhood on 77 Bloor Street West, the museum quality exhibition, “provides an engaging and educational walkthrough of the development of Warhol’s artistic language and its greater effect on culture,” said Cheng. Set to run for a six-month period, visitors are greeted by familiar works as well as rare finds that span over three decades of Warhol’s career.
With thought-provoking prose, the blog featured photographs of the beautiful interior space and a YouTube video on Cheng’s interview with Behrens on all things Warhol. During the interview, Behrens provided an in-depth explanation on the curating process. “Immediately you’re greeted with something that is very iconic,” said Ryland, “What we’re doing essentially, is laying a foundation for visitors to the exhibition, something that they can latch on to; something that they’re familiar with as they navigate their way through the exhibition.”
Besides Warhol’s iconic works such as the Marilyns and Campbell’s soup cans, Cheng highlighted rare works in Revolver Gallery’s collection that are on view at the exhibition. In particular, the Socialite series, “spoke volumes to the exhibitions overall layout,” said Cheng. A vast majority of the portraits from the series were commissioned and executed in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Cheng stated that they were, “considered the ultimate form of social validation.” The blogger remarked on one of the socialites who has a connection with Canada: Georges Marciano from Montreal and the founder of GUESS, the retail brand. Cheng remarked, “What’s humorous is the gallery’s space was a Guess location prior to the demolition.”
Witty and well-written, Christina Cheng’s interview with Ryland Behrens provided readers an educational view on a one-of-a-kind show on all things Warhol.
To read the entire blog post and view photos, visit Christina Cheng’s Blog.
For exhibition details, visit Warhol Revisited.
Watch Cheng’s interview with Behren’s here:
Photo by Lesean Harris (2015)
