Exhibit: Douglas Coupland is everywhere in Toronto!

Douglas Coupland's Gumhead and MOCCA Exhibition Review

If you have walked down Bloor Street West in Toronto's Yorkville area, you might have noticed the huge head covered in chewed up gum pieces in the new Holt Renfrew Men's store window. It's not a new and upcoming crazy fashion design, but a large bust of famous Canadian artist and writer Douglas Coupland. Beside the head are free bubble gum machines, where people are free to take a piece of gum and after chewing it, are encouraged to literally 'stick it to the man'.

Gumhead at Holt Renfrew Men

Gumhead is part of the large multi-venue exhibition Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything that is presented by both the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

Gumhead at Holt Renfrew Men

Me and Gumhead at Holt Renfrew Men

After sticking a piece of gum to Gumhead's nose, I visited the two Douglas Coupland installations at MOCCA last weekend. Secret Handshake is the larger of the two installations and can take a while to peruse all the Canadian memorabilia. It brought back several memories to me, both good and the not so good. It was funny, touching, and really cool, like Canadians themselves. This installation will be better understood to the Generation Xers than those from Generation Y.

The Brick Wall, 2005/2014

The Ice Storm, 2014

The National Pantry, 2014 (Background) and Arctic Hutch, 2013 (Foreground)

Trans Canada Hutch, 2013

905 Hutch, 2013

The second installation, Growing Up Utopian, consists of two futuristic versions of living in a post-war world, both made out of Lego. Both different versions are located directly across from each other in the same room, so visitors can view and reflect on both drastic possibilities at once.

Towers, 2014

345 Modern House, 2014 (Detail)

345 Modern House, 2014 (Detail)

Towers, 2014 and 345 Modern House, 2014

I definitely recommend seeing this exhibit, not just to get a glimpse into the mind of one of Canada's most notorious and famous contemporary authors and artists, but to take a trip down memory lane and smile. Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything is running at MOCCA until April 19 and at the ROM until April 26 (stay tuned for a future exhibit review!). You can stick your gum to Gumhead until March 28, 2015 (extended from March 9)!

Store/Fronts Exhibit

P.s!: Want to give something back to Coupland? Post a childhood photo on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #growinguputopian. Photos will be printed, placed in an album, and given to Coupland at the end of the exhibit. There are also several Douglas Coupland themed events happening at MOCCA, including a walking tour in April.  Please visit MOCCA for more details. And while at MOCCA, don't forget to visit Store/Fronts Exhibition.

P.s,

Melanie!