grunt gallery

Glenn Alteen is the Director of the grunt gallery's annual schedule of ten exhibitions which cover a selection of group and solo shows by established and emerging BC artists.



Glenn Alteen


I'm never sure how to represent myself (artist, writer, curator). What I do doesn't really translate into those titles though its part of all three. I create the contexts for other artists to work in. These consist of thematics and methodologies, which are aimed at stimulating production. Masque of the Red Death, The Performance Series, Queer City, Halfbred and Positive + all were aimed at stirring artists To produce new work. My role is to conceive, create a context, pick artists, and figure out how to fund it, then sit back and see what happens. When it comes to the actual work of the project I do nothing; usually I'm trouble shooting. But by then I don't really have a role. What they do is interesting to me but I don't need to control or influence the outcome. I don't want to. Setting the context is what's interesting to me.

This happens in individual projects as well. For Lawrence's project An Indian Act Shooting the Indian Act, I went to England as a trouble shooter. My function had already happened. Putting these types of projects together is interesting but it is more akin to theater directing than curating. Setting up processes is fascinating to me and it allows things to get produced which otherwise would have no context. As for titles I often use all three though Im not sure where one stops and another begins. I like impresario though its a bit dated.

Copyright © Glenn Alteen,1998