of Retracing the path taken by... Chris was fortu- nate to have experienced at UBC a system based on histori- cal and theoreti- cal models that enabled him to contextualize the conceptual art of the seventies. Expo panoramas land clearing 1985-86 Portrait an Artist Vancouver photographer by Marc Hébert Having spent two Sunday afternoons with local artist Christos Dikeakos to get an idea of his career path as well as to answer some of my own questions, I'm reeling from having focussed my eyes through new and unfamiliar frames of refer- ence. The roots of my knowledge concerning the ideas and prac- tices behind the conceptual photography of the seventies felt a certain displacement by what Chris had to say. Between wisps of MonteCristo and morsels of French cheese, he provided me with a rough sketch of his devel- opment as an artist: we unearthed the groundwork of his Bachelor of Fine Arts at UBC and came to hover around his most current and future work. Graduating in 1970 with a concentration of stud- KH was fortunate to have experienced a system based on historical and theoretical models. This enabled him to apply a biographical and iconographic framework to explain the conceptual art surfac- ing in that period. He also benefitted from the collection of stu- dents and professors present at UBC at the time. The combined energy of people like Doris Shadbolt, lan Wallace, Jeff Wall, Alvin Balkind, Rodney Graham, Denis Wheeler and others made for an intensely fertile environment in which to learn. Chris found much more formation in the way of curating exhibitions than of art methodology; however, his knowledge of the history of art is a clear influence on his own art practice. Then as much as now, Chris’ interest in the ruination and dereliction of the urban city, and its relation to the notion of memory and human economic activities bordering on obsoles- cence, propel his current production. If you are familiar with his most recent work, Sites and Place Names: Vancouver/Saskatoon, exhibited in 1992 and 1994, you can begin to see the type of ref- erence to history that he uses. What this work presents is a simul- taneity of Native and Colonial histories by overlapping site-specif- ic photographed panoramas with Musqueam and Squamish text so as to contend the historically influenced force of urbanization. Chris’ objective is to not let us forget the sources of the land that we inhabit. Chris believes that an act such as renaming Stanley Park with its Musqueam designation would be the ultimate mani- festation of bringing history into a contemporary discourse. The changes happening in False Creek around 1970 were ies on Marcel Duchamp, Chris of great interest to Chris in his studies. He was trying to com- plete his university language requirements of French and Ancient Greek when he had the opportunity to work briefly with Robert Smithson in a visit to Vancouver. Smithson was also involved in an exhibition at the VAG named for Vancouver's population at the time: 995 000, and curated by Lucy Lippard. The work arising out of this visit, Glue Pour, has been largely ignored until recently as documentary mate- rial has resurfaced and will be exhibited as part of an upcom- ing VAG show called Smithson in Vancouver. Coincident with this interac- tion, Chris chose to resist the path of becoming a profession- al fine artist operating within the gallery system and pub- lished a booklet with the help of the NFB that would resonate in him thirty years later. Entitled Instant Photo Information, it took opposition to the increas- ing gross capitalistic interests and rampant consumerism by evaluating the social fabric of the city without regard to prior conventions of photography such as composition and tonal range. It encapsulated black and white snapshots taken haphazardly from a moving car as it made a trajectory east- ward along the south perimeter of False Creek. Beginning at the intersection of Oak Street and West Sixth, the trip ends in the vacuous landscape of the 6 istos Dikeakos PNE. At this point in time, the last mills on the south banks were Closing as the land was changing hands from soft industrial to commercial use. There were drastic changes in how the existing industrial environment was being shaped as well as in its detrimental effects on its workers. Currently, Chris is collaborating with architect Noel Best on a public sculpture on the Marinaside Crescent on the north shore of False Creek. This work will act as a reminder of the now obsolete industrial and economic activities that once weighed heavily on these banks. And as happenstance, in the current VAG show 4 Exhibitions, the Instant Photo Information booklet is on dis- play with Jeff Wall's Landscape Manual. Chris’ focus on False Creek is now coming full circle. As the 80s surfaced, Chris saw his peers take flight to Europe to experience its surging cultural excitement. This period saw Jeff Wall, lan Wallace, Rodney Graham, and | later, Ken Lum, make great strides in their exposure by moving to large format prints, investing great personal and financial effort in making con- nections, and engaging in cur- rent discourse to propel them- selves to their successful careers. In a sense, they were following the path of another contemporary, lain Baxter, who was the premiére artist of the seventies in Vancouver. Portrait of an Artist Retracing the path taken by... Vancouver photographer (@evatuesm Bice] xo Expo panoramas land clearing 1985-86 Chris was fortu- nate to have experienced at UBC a system based on histori- cal and theoreti- cal models that enabled him to contextualize the conceptual art of the seventies. —@4+—_ by Marc Hébert Having spent two Sunday afternoons with local artist Christos Dikeakos to get an idea of his career path as well as to answer some of my own questions, I'm reeling from having focussed my eyes through new and unfamiliar frames of refer- ence. The roots of my knowledge concerning the ideas and prac- tices behind the conceptual photography of the seventies felt a certain displacement by what Chris had to say. Between wisps of ‘MonteCristo and morsels of French cheese, he provided me with a rough sketch of his devel- ‘opment as an artist: we unearthed the groundwork of his Bachelor of Fine Arts at UBC and came to hover around his most current and future work Graduating in 1970 with a concentration of stud- was fortunate to have experienced a system based on historical and theoretical models. This enabled him to apply a biographical and iconographic framework to explain the conceptual art surfac- ing in that period. He also benefitted from the collection of stu- dents and professors present at UBC at the time. The combined energy of people like Doris Shadbolt, lan Wallace, Jeff Wall, Alvin Balkind, Rodney Graham, Denis Wheeler and others made for an intensely fertile environment in which to learn, Chris found much more formation in the way of curating exhibitions than of art methodology; however, his knowledge of the history of art is a clear influence on his own art practice. Then as much as now, Chris’ interest in the ruination and dereliction of the urban city, and its relation to the notion of memory and human economic activities bordering on obsoles- cence, propel his current production. If you are familiar with his most recent work, Sites and Place Names: Vancouver/Saskatoon, exhibited in 1992 and 1994, you can begin to see the type of ref- erence to history that he uses. What this work presents is a simul- taneity of Native and Colonial histories by overlapping site-specif- ic photographed panoramas with Musqueam and Squamish text so as to contend the historically influenced force of urbanization. Chris’ objective is to not let us forget the sources of the land that we inhabit. Chris believes that an act such as renaming Stanley Park with its Musqueam designation would be the ultimate mani- festation of bringing history into a contemporary discourse. The changes happening in False Creek around 1970 were ies on Marcel Duchamp, Chris of great interest to Chris in his studies. He was trying to com- plete his university language Tequirements of French and Ancient Greek when he had the opportunity to work briefly with Robert Smithson in a visit to Vancouver. Smithson was also involved in an exhibition at the VAG named for Vancouver's population at the time: 995 000, and curated by Lucy Lippard. The work arising out of this visit, Glue Pour, has been largely ignored until recently as documentary mate- rial has resurfaced and will be exhibited as part of an upcom- ing VAG show called Smithson in Vancouver. Coincident with this interac- tion, Chris chose to resist the path of becoming a profession- al fine artist operating within the gallery system and pub- lished a booklet with the help of the NFB that would resonate in him thirty years later. Entitled Instant Photo Information, it took opposition to the increas- ing gross capitalistic interests and rampant consumerism by evaluating the social fabric of the city without regard to prior conventions of photography such as composition and tonal range. It encapsulated black and white snapshots taken haphazardly from a moving car as it made a trajectory east- ward along the south perimeter of False Creek. Beginning at the intersection of Oak Street and West Sixth, the trip ends in the vacuous landscape of the PNE. At this point in time, the last mills on the south banks were closing as the land was changing hands from soft industrial to commercial use. There were drastic changes in how the existing industrial environment was being shaped as well as in its detrimental effects on its workers. Currently, Chris is collaborating with architect Noel Best on a public sculpture on the Marinaside Crescent on the north shore of False Creek. This work will act as a reminder of the now obsolete industrial and economic activities that once weighed heavily on these banks. And as happenstance, in the current VAG show 4 Exhibitions, the Instant Photo Information booklet is on dis- play with Jeff Wall's Landscape ‘Manual. Chris’ focus on False Creek is now coming full circle. As the 80s surfaced, Chris saw his peers take flight to Europe to experience its surging cultural excitement This period saw Jeff Wall, lan Wallace, Rodney Graham, and later, Ken Lum, make great strides in their exposure by moving to large format prints, investing great personal and financial effort in making con- nections, and engaging in cur- rent discourse to propel them- selves to their successful careers. In a sense, they were following the path of another contemporary, lain Baxter, who was the premiere artist of the seventies in Vancouver.