Merike Talve (January 31, 1957 – November 27, 1997) was a Canadian curator, artist and independent writer who lived and worked in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada.
Her body of work was centred on
Contemporary Artists exhibiting in Vancouver in the 1980s.
Her writing contributed to the documentation of Vancouver art exhibition related activities during this time period.
She was known for her writing and curatorial activities related to contemporary art,
including
installation art
Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...
,
time-based
media art
New media art includes artworks designed and produced by means of electronic media technologies, comprising virtual art, computer graphics, computer animation, digital art, interactive art, sound art, Internet art, video games, robotics, 3D prin ...
,
and the
feminist art movement.
Early life and education
Merike Talve was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on January 31, 1957.
She was a performer and a Rhythmic Gymnastics instructor in Richmond in 1976. Talve studied at
Emily Carr College of Art and Design, where she earned a diploma in two-dimensional art.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
from the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
in 1981.
Career
In the early 1980s, Talve worked for the
Vanguard magazine
''Vanguard'' was a periodical produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 1972 to 1989, containing reviews and critical articles on Canadian art and artists. The magazine was successor to the ''Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin'' which existe ...
and the
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
Art Gallery in British Columbia, Canada.
She was appointed as the curator to the
Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1987.
Her curatorial activities at the
Contemporary Art Gallery and Surrey Art Gallery included organizing exhibitions of the work of Canadian artists, such as
Stan Douglas
Stan Douglas (born October 11, 1960) is an artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Douglas' film and video installations, photography and work in television frequently touch on the history of literature, cinema and music, while examining t ...
,
Katherine Knight
Katherine Mary Knight (born 24 October 1955) is an Australian murderer and the first woman in the country's history to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She was convicted for the murder of her partner, John Charles Thomas Price, ...
and
Laura Vickerson,
Kent Tate,
Martin Honsich
as well as writing critical reviews for exhibitions with artists, such as
Paul Wong,
Sara Diamond,
Kim Tomczak
Kim Tomczak (born 1952) is a Canadian artist known for his work in performance art, photography and video art. Born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1952, he graduated from the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Desig ...
,
Vera Frenkel
Vera Frenkel D. Litt (born November 10, 1938) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto. Her installations, videotapes, performances and new media projects address the forces at work in human migration, the learning and unlearning ...
,
among others.
Talve's body of work included essays and critical reviews, such as "Absense
'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''of Body Presence of Voice,"
from ''Voice Over'' (1985); ''Television Interference'' (1984);
and ''Wallflower Order'' (1983).
For the exhibition ''Luminous Sites: Ten Video Installations''.(1986),
In ''"Some Are Weather-Wise; Some Otherwise: Criticism and Vancouver,"'' from the book ''Anthology: A Project of the Or Gallery'' (1991) William Wood examines "the question of who writes about what" in art criticism. Wood's cited Talve's critical review ''"Joey Morgan: Fugue"'' in ''Parachute'' magazine. In his essay, he discussed "genres of criticism." Wood described Talve's approach (in part) by stating that, "Talve settles into straight exposition, delaying any inflection of her description till the end. Her judgment at that point is a studied ambivalence, a trait shared by a good number of Morgan's reviewers."
Talve's "Vestiges of the Avant-Garde in Installation",
provided a conceptual and historical framework for this exhibition.
referred to Talve's essay "Vestiges of the Avant-Garde in Installation" in "La instalación como hipermedio (una aproximación)" from his book ''Escritos de vista y oído''
' (2016). In this essay, Bonet's cited in part Talve's views as follows,
Her work was published in Canadian art magazines,
including the
''Vanguard'' magazine'', ISSUE'' magazine, ''Video Guide, C Magazine,
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
'' magazine'', and the ''Parallelogramme.''
''Her critical reviews included exhibitions that were presented at the
Western Front Gallery Surrey Art Gallery,
Or Gallery,
UBC Fine Arts Gallery, Simon Fraser University">University of British Columbia">UBC Fine Arts Gallery, Simon Fraser University Co-op Gallery,
Emily Carr College of Art and Design Charles H. Scott Gallery, Non Commercial Gallery, Main Exit Gallery,
Video Inn and Coburg Gallery in Vancouver.
Published reviews/essays
*"
Video-in video-out">Video Inn and Coburg Gallery in Vancouver.
Published reviews/essays
*"
." ''Vanguard (magazine)">Vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...
'' (Jan 1983) 11.10: 19.
*"The Meat and the Mystery:" Lynn Hughes (artist)">Lynn Hughes
Lynn Nettleton Hughes (born 1941) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, known for being removed from an unusual number of cases for showing bias and failing to follow fe ...
and Michael Jolliffe. ''Vanguard'' (Feb 1983) 12.1: 10–12.
*"Wallflower Order:" Marion Barling. ''Video Guide'' (Apr 1983) 5.2 [#22]: 5.
*"Street Culture:"
Kim Tomczak
Kim Tomczak (born 1952) is a Canadian artist known for his work in performance art, photography and video art. Born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1952, he graduated from the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Desig ...
, et al. ''Video Guide'' (1984) 6.4
29 4–5.
*"Third Hand:" Arni Runar Haraldsson. ''C Magazine'' (Fall 1984) 3 : 22–23.
*"Fugue:" Joey Morgan. ''Parachute 36'' (Sep–Nov 1984): 64–65
*"Television Interference:"
Paul Wong, et al. ''Video Guide'' (May 1984) 6.3
28 4-5.
*"Martin Honsich." ''Surrey Art Gallery'' (1985).
*"Absense of Body Presence of Voice," ''Voice Over'':
Sara Diamond et al.''
Contemporary Art Gallery'' (1985) 1–20 .
*"Alan Storey's Draw." ''Vanguard'' (Feb 1985) 14: 44.
*"Crafty women and the hierarchy:" Kati Campbell. ''C Magazine'' (Winter 1985) 4: 19–21.
*"Vestiges of the Avant-Garde in Installation,"
''Luminous Sites: Ten Video Installations'':
Vera Frenkel
Vera Frenkel D. Litt (born November 10, 1938) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto. Her installations, videotapes, performances and new media projects address the forces at work in human migration, the learning and unlearning ...
et al. ''
Video In /
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
'' (1986) 1–64, .
*"Trigger:"
Colette Urban. ''Vanguard (Sept 1987)'' 16: 29.
*"Installations:"
Katherine Knight
Katherine Mary Knight (born 24 October 1955) is an Australian murderer and the first woman in the country's history to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She was convicted for the murder of her partner, John Charles Thomas Price, ...
and
Laura Vickerson. ''Surrey Art Gallery'' (1987) 1–8, .
*"New sculptural works:" Daniel Laskarinet, et al. ''Contemporary Art Gallery'' (1988) 1–8, .
*"Learning from salmon:" Deborah Koenker. ''Contemporary Art Gallery'' (1988) 1-8, .
*"Repo:" Georgiana Chappell, et al. ''Contemporary Art Gallery'' (1988) 1-10, .
*"The Stalker:"
Kent Tate. ''Contemporary Art Gallery'' (1988) 1–12, .
*"Television spots:"
Stan Douglas
Stan Douglas (born October 11, 1960) is an artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Douglas' film and video installations, photography and work in television frequently touch on the history of literature, cinema and music, while examining t ...
. ''Contemporary Art Gallery'' (1988) 1–34, .
Personal life
Talve was married to Jonathan Gary Fisher.
Her parents, Harri Talve
and Marie (Õunpuu) Talve,
met and married in Vancouver.
Both her parents were born in Estonia.
Harri, at the age of 13, relocated to Denmark due to displacement because of the war.
Marie's family had relocated to Sweden.
Harri immigrated to Canada in 1950
at age 20 and Marie in the early 1950s.
The couple married and settled in Richmond.
Merike Talve died in Vancouver on November 27, 1997.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talve, Merike
1957 births
1997 deaths
Artists from Vancouver
Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni
University of British Columbia alumni
20th-century Canadian women artists
Canadian people of Estonian descent
Canadian women curators