Miriam El-Abbassi | Arts Editor
Featured Image: Sonny Assu and Brendan Lee Satish Tang, illustrate “consumer geek culture” through their own unique lens. | Miriam El-Abbassi
With a very clever play on words, ‘Ready Player Two‘ is an exhibit that challenges and critiques representation in popular culture, as well as demonstrates how core aspects are closely tied to the artists’ own cultural identity. Located at the AGYU in the Accolade East building, British Columbian artists, Sonny Assu and Brendan Lee Satish Tang, illustrate “consumer geek culture” through their own unique lens.
The entire exhibition is divided into five rooms, each detailing a unique environment from their childhood. At a superficial level, their depictions of a kitchen, basement, arcade, and comic book store showcase a safe haven for any pre-teen in the 90’s, but upon closer inspection, there are various aspects that have been purposely chosen to pay homage to their Indigenous heritage.
Upon entering the gallery space, the kitchen display is seemingly a haphazard arrangement of board games and blueprints on a rather small dining table. Although, after closer inspection, a box of cereal can be seen. It is drawn similarly to a typical Lucky Charms box, except the caricature portrayed is of an Indigenous person of colour, instead of a leprechaun. This is the beginning of several subtle reimaginings of 90’s pop culture iconography.
The following room is the basement, with a small television running a compilation of old commercials in the background. The muffled sounds of the TV help to create an incredibly immersive experience while examining the other aspects of this room. In the centre is a coffee table encased in glass, with several items being showcased. What looks to be a video game console, two game controllers and a bowl of hot Cheetos (an absolute staple, no matter the decade), is juxtaposed by several books and comics depicting Indigenous characters. In a sense, this prominent juxtaposition can be interpreted as an act to further normalize the presence of Indigenous and immigrant figures in pop culture, as they were (and still are) non-existent in that space.
The next room is the arcade, which is a fairly empty space with two games stationed on either side. One is titled “Broken Treaties,” and the other is titled “Wreck-Conciliation!,” both cleverly referencing the harmful treatment of Indigenous peoples throughout Canadian history. They both have a running loop of video game footage that plays on a low volume, similarly to the previous room.
The comic book store and ‘bonus’ level feature more abstract pieces completed by both artists. This could have been done intentionally so as to have the exhibit become more open ended, allowing viewers to draw their own interpretations or conclusions about the art itself.
Both artists have masterfully curated a collection that aptly showcases their own diversity, and brings issues of representation and Indigenous issues to the forefront. Their art combats the conventional narrative in pop culture, effectively paving the way for a conversation on these topics.
