melanie garcia has a blog: ALLKIN:Jason Botkin, LNDMRK

Jason Botkin, Galerie Yves Laroche, LNDMRK ( some members formally of Safewalls), and Station16 have come together to throw down ALLKIN, the second show to take place at Projet Beaumont after the inaugural INSA show in August of last year. Phew! That's a lot of links yo. I asked Botkin how this exhibit came to fruition with the the many minds invovled:

"I've had the pleasure to work with the guys of LNDMRK many times in the past through the EN MASSE project. [...] They are very active members of Montreal's artistic community, from an underground arts perspective. I was thrilled when they approached me to take part in this new initiative with them...a rare opportunity for me to settle down for a bit and focus on my own shit!! "

Yeah! Lots of love here. Let's get to the art now!

As a highly anticipated show, the opening was packed with parka covered art goers checking out the large scale masks, prints, and one giant-all in brilliant technicolour. The show veered away from Botkin's signature black and white palette which has characterized not only his work for the past ten years but also recalls his work as one of the founders of En Masse.

Being greeted by a gaping mouth

installation view, Botkin's wild oversized masks

While whimsical and slightly creepy upon first glance, when I learned that the large faces on the walls were indeed "masks" I was curious about what these figures represented. A few words from the artist:

"Masks, marionettes, and puppets intrigue me enormously. I've always been drawn to these theatrical artifacts. They are interesting ways of addressing identity, acting as ‘second skins’. [...] Masks are tools which enable us to change identities and assume new personalities. I think we all feel a deep need to change ourselves and the environment around us. I guess these works allow me a chance to offer up a different sense of my ‘self’. Not necessarly a 'truer' sense, but one that is at least often hidden away from sight. "