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Art

The Politics of Poetry

Author: Eric Glennie Windhager

Published Date: Jun. 9 2022

Image: photo credit: Calvin Pham

“…throughout Nason’s work there is a weaving of storytelling and difficult personal history together with larger socio-political and cultural concern.” 
 
On view from June 1st to 30th, Jim Nason and David Rayfield’s installation, “This Tree is a Rabbit,” will reside in the food court on the third floor of The Tenor building at Yonge and Dundas. The large-scale-scenic/sculptural work combines poetry and collage by Nason with an assemblage of found and recycled materials such as cereal boxes, plywood, and wire grid, becoming a kind of 3D collage itself. The installation takes the form of a tree, the leaves of which are represented as postcards, each one featuring a different poem and accompanying collage by Nason and meant to be taken by attendees. Nason and Rayfield’s piece is in conjunction with a relatively new visual arts programming stream for Pride Toronto, having first been introduced in 2021 as a way of integrating some of Toronto’s vast queer visual arts communities. One of Pride’s anchor points for this year’s programming is the theme of environmental sustainability, a dilemma that Jim Nason’s body of work often engages with. While on my visit to view “This Tree is a Rabbit,” I had the opportunity to speak with Nason about the work. According to the author/artist, the poem and accompanying collage from which the installation derives its name, “This Tree is a Rabbit,” was inspired by the environmentally conscious installation work of artist Mark Dion, who was once quoted as saying: “My art is an attempt to understand how our society has evolved a suicidal relationship to the planet.” That quote seems to encapsulate the feelings evoked by the poem - a solemn and evocative ode to the plant and animal casualties of climate chaos. Already being an accomplished author, poet, publisher, activist, and social worker, Nason began working with collage quite recently while working on his latest book of poetry, Blue Suitcase (2017). The framed collages which adorn the backside of “This Tree is a Rabbit” began as a personal investigation into the feelings that arose from the Bruce McArthur case, in which 6 of the 8 victims were highly marginalized gay men from racialized communities and the Toronto Gay Village. Other images seem to be reflections on the alienation of growing up in the 60’s in an overtly white and hetero time in North American culture. I came to learn that throughout Nason’s work there is a weaving of storytelling and difficult personal history together with larger socio-political and cultural concerns. On that note, Nason is quick to maintain that “the personal is always political”. Although frequently delving in to the darkest and most painful aspects of life, in his work and his demeanour there remains a lightheartedness and hope for the future. Near the end of our conversation, pointing towards the bags of soil placed at the base of the installation, Nason reveals that they not only represent a harrowing detail of the McArthur case, but also an opportunity for regrowth. As I stood back to view the entire piece once more before leaving, I admired the way the imperfect, organic and recycled materials stood in such stark contrast to the rest of their location. 

Image of Eric Glennie Windhager

About the Author

Eric Glennie Windhager

Eric Glennie Windhager is a Toronto-based settler, artist, musician, aspiring curator and writer. 

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