Mounting Sexual Tension at Keep Six

Catherine Telford-Keogh may not have had a say in the titling of her solo show at Keep Six, labeled 'Pleasure Principles,' a Freudian term that she not only does not associate with, but actually detests; nor did her battle to use her full, unabridged name bear any fruit (the gallery is promoting the exhibition as works by 'Catherine Telford'); however, any censorship of ideas and nomenclature in the press release is extinguished by Catherine's fiery bright sculptures and performances that probe her fascination with queer theory, gender issues, and the body as well as anything on this side Jim Henson.

I've seen Catherine's work around the city recently in spaces such as Propeller, Fly Gallery, the Ontario Crafts Council, and, most notably, strolling down Queen St. West in what looks like a giant, textile birthday cake. It was great to come to this Keep Six show now, to experience a more interactive, and elegant, facet of her output.

It is strangely exciting to see these objects which are so overtly sexual yet wouldn't seem out of place in either a Marie-Antoinette outtake or a lost episode of Sesame Street. The plush, furry cavities in the more sculptural works were beckoning me to thrust my hands down into their squishy core, though I was frustratingly bashful to do so in the gallery context, a minus of the perfect placement and precise arrangement. This made it all the more satisfying when I was able to inject my entire body into 'Dismantling the Pleasure Dome.'

The 'pleasure dome' in this case isn't Toronto's fantastic new media group, but rather a plump, colorful igloo/living room where I could sit and watch a video of Catherine disassembling the sort of muffs that the structure is composed of. This mirrors the other video in the room, in which she seems to be ripping a pile of muppet babies to shreds in a demonstration of failed anger management.

Nearby, a dangling cocoon/captive/corpse of fabric and textiles titled 'Embrace Bondage' further represents Catherine's skill at personifying inanimate objects. Even interpreted as a dying human, the form has a life that laces all of her work; all of these forms loom like pods that are about to hatch. As alien as that description might be, I never feared the inner dwellers, but was all but ready to welcome them with open arms, just as I was willingly ready to plumb the interior cushions that these forms promisingly housed.

Writing and photos by Blake Williams