Wade Kotelo’s latest exhibit at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum offers a look at risks facing the modern world.
Threat Assessment is currently on display at the EAGM’s Gallery No. 1, alongside the Ev Johnson Memorial Adjudicated Art Show that is organized by the Estevan Arts Council.
This is the third solo exhibit at the EAGM for Kotelo, who is the fine arts teacher at the Estevan Comprehensive School.
Speaking before a large crowd at a reception at the EAGM on Nov. 10, Kotelo thanked the EAGM for the support they have shown him over the years. He admits this latest exhibit was a challenge for him to pull together.
“I think, largely, when you look around, and you see the things that are happening around the world and that we’re a part of throughout the world, you have to wonder,” said Kotelo. “I’m a big fan of corporate buzz words, so when I started hearing all the jargon of threat assessment, it just triggered (something in) me.”
So he decided he would try to study why people are this way, and why they take certain actions.
“I thought people … are too complex to really anticipate anything, and I think that’s why we continually see the negativity,” said Kotelo. “It’s only one half of life, of course, but without conflict, there’s no drama.”
Threat Assessment includes a triptych, which is a work of art divided into three sections. Kotelo said the triptych is a great art discipline that he still enjoys using.
“All of these pieces are about time,” said Kotelo. “If we’re trying to identify what people do and why, you need time and sadly we don’t have time anymore, because everything we care about takes two seconds.”
Threat Assessment depicts such scenes as a terrorist driving a bus through a crowd in Paris, which Kotelo described as one of the more frightening situations in the exhibit. Another picture reflects on chronic pain and people’s actions.
“It evolved along, and I just started thinking about the caregiver and the … patient relationship, or the family member relationship, and how everybody is affected in that kind of situation in one way or another,” said Kotelo.
“So all of these things aren’t necessarily big and violent. Sometimes it’s inside stuff and resentment and what not. And I just find it terribly sad to see this one.”
The exhibit also deals with such themes as opportunism, obsession and deceit. Kotelo also managed to weave humour into some of the selections.
He hopes people will look at Threat Assessment and find their own interpretation, and that they will have one selection that affects them the most.
Threat Assessment will remain on display until the middle of December.
