Kathryn Walter

Private Investigators: Masquerade in Public Space
Exhibition curated by Kathryn Walter
Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre for the Arts, 1997

​Walter invited seven artists to create and inhabit characters to infiltrate the public spaces of one of Canada’s most famous tourist destinations—Banff, Alberta. Each performer came with a disguise and a goal to address the contradictions at work in the National Park’s townsite—wilderness versus tourist mecca, and examine the roles people play in conforming to society’s expectations.
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LEFT: Shauna Dempsey and Lorri Millan: The Lesbian National Parks and Service 
​RIGHT: Millie Chen and Eveyln Von Michalofski: Oracle Brand

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​ABOVE: Faye Heavyshield and Shelley Niro: Old Sister/New Sister
BELOW: Judy Radul: The Specialists: Performing the Heterosexual Couple
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The performances took place in and around town, and the gallery was used as a project room/documentation centre where workstations were installed for each project complete with props and costumes when not in use. A large mirror hung on the end wall creating the semblance of a theatre dressing room. Here viewers could not avoid reflections of themselves and one another. They too became performers caught in the act of seeing and being seen.
​Excerpt from essay by Kathryn Walter
Catalogue/Book published by Banff Centre Press, 1999
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