THE NATIONAL POSTER RETROSPECTICUS at the NXNE Hub (170 Spadina), to June 20. nxne.com. Rating: NNNN
Before the Fillmore West-centred psychedelic rock renaissance in Haight-Ashbury in 60s San Francisco, the concert handbill was more or less a functional thing. Soon, rock posters evolved their own distinctive graphic language.
NXNE’s National Poster Retrospecticus reinforces the idea of handbills and concert posters as works of art. Featuring screen-printed posters by 100 artists, the show surveys the broad range of wheat-pasted images that get your ass out of the house and into a music venue.
The posters demonstrate how visually sophisticated musical culture has become. Graphic art and design, especially at the poster level, now marshal a complex and heady blend of historical sources, overlaying bold analog design elements with contemporary elements that sometimes look like old-school flourishes.
Toronto design firm Doublenaut (Andrew and Matt McCracken), borrow the formal boldness of the Swiss Typographic style in stunningly austere posters for Mogwai and Arcade Fire, among others. The contrast in eras and genres forces you to look twice.
Andrew Kolb’s ultra-simple, happy smiling blob creatures hail from 60s ads and vintage storybooks. Once again, a sense of vintage graphic naïveté works well as a contrast.
Some posters wear their sheer badassery upfront. Kevin Tong’s Ramones advert, with its lone leather-clad female resting next to her motorcycle in front of a chain link fence, uses its Daniel Clowes-inspired graphic style to create a perfect still of noirish rock alienation.
These designers are demonstrating how difficult it is to resist innovative repurposing of our rich graphic design history.
art@nowtoronto.com
