Press

What Does Jesus Think of Lapdancing?

Posted August 15th, 2012 by Pas Un Autre

By Abbey Meaker and Oliver Maxwell Kupper for Pas Un Autre

If you can believe it, she has read the bible a total of six times. Canadian born artist Charmaine Wheatley is as prolific as she exhibits her work, but lately its sex thats been on her mind. Her new series of erotic illustrations are a testament to her own path of discovery of sex outside the confines of her religious upbringing. Having been living in New York for a little over a decade, Charmaine Wheatley – with ample freedom and wells of creativity – has certainly found her artistic identity, but as for her sexual identity, its exploration is all there on the canvas, per se. Charmaine Wheatley’s artwork is extremely multi-dimensional. Mediums integrate into mediums: from illustration, to performance art, to sculpture and back again. In her collaboration with DJ and sound artist Taketo Shimada, inspired by her namesake – her name comes from the widely recorded song and 1920s standard “Chaarmaine” – they are trying build and demonstrate the personality of CHARMAINE. And if this collaboration is an example, it is proof unto itself how multifaceted and adroit the sum of Charmaine Wheatley’s artistic ambitions are. A description of this collaboration then makes total sense: “….a direct reference to fantasy, gift giving, sound art, contemporary feminist dialogue and pop culture while investigating issues of intimacy and sexual tension that dissolve any boundaries between sexual preference, cultural or class backgrounds, age or gender types.” Pas Un Autre was lucky enough to ask Charmaine Wheatley a few pertinent questions, after the jump.

Why did you decide to move to New York City from Canada? When Halifax (Nova Scotia) started to feel too small. There was no where I could go without bumping into someone I knew. I liked the anonymity of NYC. If I want to bump into people I know, I go to Chelsea, the Lower Eastside/ West Village, Williamsburg, Dumbo, etc. If I want to make sure I don’t I just go uptown or the Financial District. Also I was trying to get away I realize now from an f’d up relationship and social situation. I didn’t feel much loyalty in my circle the way things were up there. Also I was dazzled by the possibilities of NYC. I didn’t want to see anymore rocks, trees, lakes, ocean… Of course the last part has changed. I need nature in my life.

How has living in the city impacted your work/direction? I can get whatever materials I want. I don’t have to just look in books to see an artwork I like. I just go see the piece in the museum or gallery. I’m visually stimulated on a daily basis. No one ever calls what I do, “strange” or “weird”. If I need to dress up like a tooth fairy in the middle of the day and walk down 5th Ave. people barely bat an eyelash. I mean, I haven’t had the need to explore that particular identity but I am aware of the freedom to if I need to….However walking around naked isn’t tolerated…even the naked cowboy and cowgirl aren’t naked. But that conservatism is something to challenge.

Can you remember the first thing you drew? Hmmm the very first thing? Really I can’t. I’m sure I did all the same kind of little kid drawings….I guess I remember the 1st drawing contest I won 1st prize in. Like in Grade 1 or 2. It was a 2-frame comic, color, on bristol board with crayons and markers. The Royal Bank sponsored the competition. The 1st frame was a boy on the bank of a lake, throwing a rock into the water. The second frame was a close up of the rock hitting the water and ripples emanating. My text was like: ‘Putting your money in the bank is like throwing a rock in the water. Your money gets bigger and bigger’ or something like that…Making reference to savings account and accruing interest on deposits. I don’t even think I was trying to suck up to the bank. I don’t think I understood that the bank chose the winners or whatever. I really honestly thought banks were great. I was a nerdy, earnest kid with a piggy bank and was really into saving money. There was a picture of me in the paper accepting the prize of my first bank account. They put a little money in it and gave me some pen. I was so very honored!

The Buffalo News

A little Q&A (10/27/2006)

Canadian-born, Manhattan-dwelling artist Charmaine Wheatly has just published her first comic book, "Beau Fleuve: The Heart of North America." She has been in Buffalo over the last four months for an artistic residency sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, which included a recent exhibit at the Carnegie Art Center. Her general immersion culminates this weekend when she appears as a guest artist at the Buffalo Comicon. The "con" is Sunday, at the Marriott Hotel, 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst. Call 833-6220 or go to www.queencitycomic.com for more information.

What is the difference between your artwork and what most people think of as "comics"?

For one thing, I don't make anything up. I draw from life; people tell me stuff, and I record it. Instead of escaping into fantasy, like Marvel comics, I escape into reality.

Why a comic book?

You can print comic books cheaply - it's not a fancy art book. I challenge the boundaries of the medium; I consider it an extension of performance. I even feel that it has a sculptural element. I like that, for $7, people can have this artwork.

Why Buffalo? I'm Canadian but have been living in Manhattan for 20 years. I instantly feel at home here - there is so much heart. Also, because of certain things that are "Canadian" - like Tim Hortons coffee. I have Canadian citizenship, but my home and my friends are American. I love how Buffalo sits on the border. ... When I'm here, I feel like both sides of me are being fulfilled.

How did you end up channeling your observations of people into your art?

When I'm alone in a studio, I don't get as much done. Painting from life gives the work urgency; if I drew from photographs, it would be stale. I am turned on by being in front of people; it's like performance. I have to stay flexible. If I'm drawing in a crowded bar, serendipitous things emerge and add to the truth of that moment. I always have my paints - basically a mini-studio - with me, wherever I go.

How do you feel being featured at the Comicon?

I'm honored and excited. I love comparing notes with other artists. I wonder how my comic will fit in with all the others. ... Also, I'm curious and hoping that people will show up dressed as "Star Trek" characters. I identify with underdogs. I want to meet all the passionate and eccentric people there and learn something about what makes their world tick.

- Jana Eisenberg, Special to The News

Arts & Life - OCTOBER 27th, 2006

Life Focus: Around Buffalo

Comic book draws real Buffalo super heroes

ALYSSA KRAMER - Staff Writer

The Comicon Convention at the Marriot Hotel, Sun. Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature comic books from all over, including Charmaine Wheatley’s new comic “Beau Fleuve” featuring individuals she met while briefly residing in Buffalo.

An overweight pasty white kid in serious need of Proactive sits in the corner of the cafeteria flipping through the pages of Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta" comic book, sipping a juice box as he slides his glasses up the bridge of his greasy nose. Comic book fans are often stereotyped in a way that is less than flattering — as the overweight kid with the acne problem or the nerdy, skinny kid who has never had a girlfriend.

Charmaine Wheatley, an artist originally from Nova Scotia who recently published her first comic book titled "Beau Fleuve, The Heart of North America," proves wrong the negative label comic book enthusiasts have acquired. The characters within the comic are based on real people from Buffalo, as well as family members from Canada.

Sitting at a small table in Betty's restaurant west of Elmwood, Wheatley, a youthful small framed blonde woman who is wearing a sundress despite the 50-degree weather, describes her experiences over bacon, eggs and coffee. She doodles a picture of my face as we talk, explaining that every experience for her is special so she makes an extra effort to remember the details of everything, to use later on in her work. This weekend, Wheatley and her comic book will be a part of the Comicon Convention, featuring artists and their comic books from all over. The event will be held Sun. Oct. 29 at the Marriot Hotel from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission is $5 admission at the door. Wheatley said she hopes to end the event with a dance party.

Seriously. Wheatley, who graduated from the College of Art and Design before moving to Brooklyn, N.Y. ten years ago, took an extended "field trip" to Buffalo, taking an apartment off of Elmwood Avenue. In the search for inspiration, she became more than just a tourist, amassing expertise knowledge on the inner workings of the Queen City. The people she met at her favorite sights - Betty's, Hardware Café and more - became not only a part of her comic book, but a part of her life. "Within just a short time after meeting someone, we already would find ourselves laughing or crying together," Wheatley said. "I find that there is a fine line between the two, you could be laughing one minute and then crying the next." Her comic book's title "Beau Fleuve," is a fancy play on "Buffalo," based on a rumor of how Buffalo received its name when a French explorer discovered the Niagara River.

"Beau Fleuve" means "beautiful river." "I wanted this one to be a collectible," Wheatley said. "Guys that write the Marvel comics like X-Men are more into fantasy while I'm more into reality. Everything I write or draw comes from true life." On the front cover is a caricature of a man she saw walking around with white underwear over his khaki shorts, a Tim Horton's coffee cup and old-fashioned roller skates, commemorating a group called the Queen City Roller Girls. The first page depicts a three-hoofed deer her friend always feeds tea biscuits. Inside are a series of quirky stories and fragments of people's lives she has extracted from their conversations. There is a depiction of a couple that sells miniature furniture, of a racist man in a bar and of a separated Japanese couple. In another is her best friend in an intimate moment with her husband, who is twenty-years older than her.

Sandra Firmin, the curator of the Carnegie Art Center in Buffalo, encouraged Wheatley to stay in Buffalo and complete her comic. With Firmin's expertise, Wheatley was able to receive a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Wheatley is proof that the world of comics is not a dying art, but it is a link to the past and a way to express the present. "My interest in comic books started when I was five or six years old," said Amy Greenan, a graduate student in the art department. "I love reading comics, especially because it's fun to get lost in a different world." Big blockbuster hits like "Spiderman," "Batman" and "X-Men" have given comic books the stigma of being associated solely with super heroes and damsels in distress. "It isn't all just people in stupid costumes beating the crap out of each other," said Joe LiButti, a junior English major. "I think anyone can find a comic book they'd enjoy if they take the time to poke around a bit."

UB's Rare Books and Special Collections boasts an expansive comic book collection dating back to the 1970s. Additionally, comics are easy to find and available at many bookstores. A good one to check out is Queen City Bookstore on Main Street near South Campus; prices range from 99 cents to $40. "The stereotype associated with comic book fans isn't true at all. All kinds of people come in here," said Emil Nobak, a Queen City Bookstore employee. Wheatley's "Beau Fleuve" comic is available at Talking Leaves Bookstore; to meet her in person and have a copy autographed, she will be at the Comicon Convention Sunday. "There's so much more to comics than people realize," Greenan said. "Just try one to see if you like it."

Show Racy, but only in the Telling

by Sigrid Dahle

The Winnipeg Free Press, Sat, Jan 20, 2001, p.B4

Canadian-born New York-based artist Charmaine Wheatley investigates audience reactions to the kinds of imagery and performances usually produced by sex trade workers for heterosexual male consumers.

It's a tricky undertaking for any young artist, fraught with many ideological, personal and professional risks and pitfalls. However, though Wheatley graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design only a few years ago, her current one-person exhibition at Gallery One One One demonstrates that, for the most part, she's risen to the challenge with considerable wit and esthetic judgment.

In a video, Agricola Street which documents Wheatley's

infamous 1997 performance, we see her at night, sitting naked in an abandoned storefront window in a rough Halifax neighborhood while videotaping the reactions, comments and heckles of passers-by.

"It's a woman," shouts a guy in disbelief. An obviously

surprised woman bemoans Wheatley's lack of "the common sense God gave her."

In the exhibition's other video, Cassa Rossa, we catch

glimpses of Wheatley's art performance or intervention at an Amsterdam strip club.

An attired Wheatley unobtrusively enters the nightclub and quietly joins the audience. She matter-of-factly removes her clothes, drops something on the floor, bends over to pick it up, puts on her lace jacket, picks up her umbrella and casually leaves as though nothing out-of-the-ordinary has transpired.

Cambridge Suites an elegant, black-on-black hardcover book consists solely of what one assumes are photo-based images of Wheatley striking cliched, explicitly erotic poses.

Moonpies, the only sculptural work in the exhibition, is a series of "six identical chocolate sculptures made from a life-sized mould of Wheatley's shapely behind." The sumptuous chocolates, each one resting on a delicate paper lace doily, are elegantly exhibited in glass-fronted display cases.

The newest and arguably the most compelling body of work in the exhibition is a series of seven book works, each comprised of a collection of card-sized, diaristic image-and-text drawings gathered together in a discarded "box," the kind of vintage metal cigar, cigarette or cigarello containers that sport product labels such as Chesterfield or Velasquez.

For the Gallery One One One exhibition, each set of drawings is smartly displayed in a grid-like fashion on one of seven table tops whose dimensions are directly proportional to the shape of the box that holds that particular set of drawings.

In these precious but occasionally slick multi-media drawings with their painfully neat handwritten script, Wheatley waxes prosaic and poetic about her day-to-day life and makes notes in preparation for her performances and other projects (all of which is reminiscent of artists' notebooks). Much of the writing is so minuscule that it's virtually illegible to the unaided eye. But with the help of the glass magnifying lenses placed on each table and with plenty of back-breaking, foot-sore perseverance, viewers are potentially privy to Wheatley's most intimate thoughts.

All of which seems pretty racy -- but only in the telling.

Visitors rushing to this exhibition in search of a quick and easy turn-on are likely to leave empty-handed.

Wheatley's sly strategy, which appears to inform most of the work in this exhibition, is to draw attention to the viewer's voyeuristic desires by frustrating their expectations and "jamming" their satisfaction.

In the videos, for example, we see very little of Wheatley -- the ceiling of the strip bar and the gawking audience warrant far more footage than do her bare breasts. The black-on-black images of Wheatley in the Cambridge Suites book work are virtually indecipherable unless the light is exactly right. The height and dimensions of Wheatley's display tables and the minuteness of her script will leave you feeling cramped and bleary-eyed long before you've gleaned any of Wheatley's supposed "secrets."

Charmaine Wheatley, the exhibition, is most certainly provocative. Not because Charmaine Wheatley, the artist, takes her clothes off in public or because she toys with cliched sexual imagery but because her artwork draws attention to voyeurism itself even while it makes sex seem as ordinary a part of everyday life as a trip to the john.

Above: one of Charmaine's "moonpies" with its packaging.