Zig-a-Zigallery – Spice Girls Art Show at the FALL

Spice Girls diorama at the Fall Gallery Vancouver July 7 2012.

Before the Dukes of September show last night (read my review here) with the fogies at the Orpheum we stopped in at the Fall Tattoo and Art Gallery to see what the kids are up to these days.

Turns out they’re into their own form of nostalgia – remembering/celebrating the ’90s by way of the Spice Girls.

Vancouver nurse/gallery curator Christina Chant put on the show, a follow-up to Bill You Murray Me, another celebrity-inspired gallery from earlier this year. The idea is to come up with some Spice Girls-inspired art; everyone, no matter what their degree of talent, is invited to submit.

As with the previous show, Zig-a-Zigallery offered an embarrassment of creative riches. These pics, as bad as they are, don’t do justice to the variety and imagination on display, but they give some indication of the art. Not pictured: a two-page comic strip; Spice Girls envisioned as Futurama-ish disembodied heads; and the drag version of the singers, who were to make an appearance later on in the evening.

Spice Girls via Picasso at the Fall Gallery Vancouver July 7 2012.

Wine Australia Regional Round-Up

At the Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, Jan 28 2011

Australia Day, apparently, was two days previous.

I can’t recall ever having heard of Australia Day before this year, but suddenly Vancouverites were treating it as though it was an actual thing. So I did my part by attending a tasting of Australian wines, the first of three events Australia Wine is hosting in the coming months.

When we arrived early Friday evening, the Buschlen Mowatt Gallery on Georgia was knee-deep in eager imbibers. Les Amis du fromage had laid out a spread of cheeses, crackers, grapes and olives, sculptural art (by Romanian-born Canadian artist Sorel Etrog) bloomed on the walls and Aussie acts INXS and Men At Work whispered from the ceiling speakers.

 

But the main attraction was 60 different pours from more than 30 vineyards. Most of the offerings were Cabernet Sauvignons, Shiraz, and Chardonnay, though I wasn’t paying enough to the whites.

To avoid becoming overwhelmed by the selection, this wine amateur stuck mostly to the reds, specifically the cabs. I was in search of something that would make me forget my current favourite while staying in the same price bracket (under $25).

 

While I didn’t find something to steal me away from my beloved California cab J. Lohr, looking was certainly fun. I did come across an alternate to Wolf Trap, my go-to $16  choice,; Next of Kin has a light, smooth feel and an aroma of blackberry and spice. On the high end of the price spectrum, the Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon (retail approx. $60) from the Wirra Wirra region was delicious, with a lingering spicy flavour.

Two other wines, neither a cab, impressed. The Money Spider, a roussanne 2008 from D’Arenberg (available at Liberty Wine in Vancouver), was described by wine expert Robert Parker in these terms: “unoaked. Light gold-colored, it has an enticing bouquet of honey, candle wax, and melon aromas followed by a vibrant, ripe, smooth-textured wine with layers of flavor.” Couldn’t agree more, Bob.

A petite syrah (or “Durif”) from the Nugan Estate, described by the vineyard’s website as “deep crimson with a youthful hue,” was also a stand-out, though once again I’ll have to leave it to others – in this case, Nugan’s own website – for a proper description: “aromas of ripe raspberry, plum and cherry… with a generous palate of raspberry and plum pudding.” Easy to like, in other words.

 

Wine Australia is hosting two more events in the coming months:

Event #2: Down Under Mix Up

Date: Friday, April 29th, 2011
Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Details and Tickets available here: House Wine

Event #3: Summer Sipper

Date: Saturday, June 25th, 2011
Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Details & Tickets available here: House Wine