Of Course Ships have Spirits - Ottawa, Ontario - Realistic Object Sculptures on Waymarking.com

About the Artist
Alexander John Wyse was born in the United Kingdom in 1938. He recalls being consumed by drawing and painting as a child. After moving to Canada, he met his wife and collaborator Anne, a teacher from Saskatchewan. Perhaps owing to Alex’s British origin or perhaps to other factors, the couple has settled in the nation’s capital of Ottawa, Ontario.

As the home of the country’s government, Ottawa is a city filled with people involved in politics; if not directly, then by association. The city’s overwhelming tone of governance and social consequence has found its way into the work of Alex Wyse as he interrogates, subverts, and celebrates the political context of his own art practice.

Wyse often comments on such politically charged themes as the environment, governmental responsibility, and regionalism itself. His 1970 work Super Shows Proudly Presents Ease Into the Countryside plays with the perceived divisions between country- and city-life, while adopting the rhetoric of commercialism by promoting itself as a way to “ease into the countryside for the city type - deluxe model” and containing drawers of garbage and urban noisemakers.

The work of Alex Wyse often adopts a rustic style, not unlike that of his contemporaries Joe Fafard and Vic Cicansky, even if Wyse uses different materials. But through the appropriation of other traditions of communication, Wyse has managed in his practice to create lighthearted works that deal with serious issues; Parliamentary Desk Thumper, Wyse’s work presented on the ARTSask website, is no exception.

Please note that while the Ottawa City Hall is opened 24/7 for people to walk through, the lights are dimmed after 5:00 pm. For this reason, it may be difficult to appreciate the sculpture's exceptional details.

Reference: (visit link)

Title: Of Course Ships have Spirit Artist: Alex Wise Placement Date: 1984 Type of Object: Ship Location: 2nd Floor, Ottawa City Hall Material: Oil on wood, metal, glass, etc./ Website: Not listed

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