MIC Toi Rerehiko presents Stephen Foster

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MIC Toi Rerehiko presents Stephen Foster and Jim Vivieaere

Canadian media-based/video artist Stephen Foster collaborates with New Zealand's Jim Vivieaere for what is set to be an exhibition to astound patrons at MIC this season.

In a world where we perpetually look to new forms of media, are we unaware of an underlying 'hidden' meaning? Are there undertones within the world of technology, and does it walk hand in hand with culture?

Foster's objective is to critique the texts of mass media, its use of cultural appropriation and distorted representations of "Indianess", shifting the complex underlying meanings to reveal moving personal metaphors and politically charged content.

Addressing themes and issues of identity politics in mass media, Foster for many is leading the charge in experimenting with video and new media techniques in Canada, making him a highly sought-after speaker and panelist.

Foster's video and new media work has been acknowledged with residencies and exhibitions across Canada and the USA. His most recent work as been highlighted in a major show, Re:Meditations at the Kelowna Art Gallery, now touring across Canada. Other recent exhibitions have included Red Eye (presented at the Carlton University Gallery in Ottawa, currently on tour across), Playing Indian: Burn, Static and Squelch at Toronto's VMAC Gallery, and {Claim} at The Urban Shaman Gallery in Winnipeg.

His explorations in interactive media and experimental documentary have seen him the recipient of a large Research/Creation grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Foster collaborates at this exhibition with New Zealand's Jim Vivieaere, who comes off his work at the Auckland Museum as a Pacific Island Community Programme Advisor for their Vaka Moana exhibition. Vivieaere has been an active member of the visual arts community as both an artist and independent curator for over 25 years, and has traveled extensively across the Pacific basin, rim and Western Europe. In 2006, Vivieaere had a short term contract as a guest lecturer at the University of British Columbia, Canada, which lends it's strengths to the collaborations with Foster.

Vivieaere last collaborative effort was an incredible success. "Betrayal", a visual installation with Jefferson Belt which was housed at the Museum of Brisbane in 2005 saw a recorded 42,000 attendees across its exhibiting time – and unprecedented success which further attributes to the importance of Vivieaere to New Zealand art.

With an exciting, edgy presence and a somewhat iconoclastic humor, Fosters work demonstrates a commitment to social and political issues. Gallery 2 and 3 of the MIC will be housing a selection of his most recent works, both in the realms of video installations and digital media, including Gunfight, Fork Tongue, and Land Claim.

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