Michael Davey | commentary

Canadian Club

These works are a personal commentary on the hockey stick as a Canadian cultural icon. As hockey fans, we are bombarded with images of the Canadian male as someone who works hard and also plays hard. Beer has always been central to this message. Formally speaking, these works are a distinct departure from my earlier hockey sticks which were made of carved and sandblasted granite. Here, aluminum and glass are the constructive elements, materials which are central to the game - hockey sticks and arenas - and which are visually quite flashy. The overall effect is intensified by the airbrushing on the blades in hot colours using a variety of motifs - shooting stars, racing stripes - images usually seen on goalies' helmets. Then there is the beer that was replaced here by Canadian Club Whisky. Filling the shafts of the sticks, it becomes the liquid golden light-filled core of these works.

Michael Davey, 2005

< back