Lisa came up with the idea of playing with the German word doppleganger when trying to understand the segregation and isolation that the cultural scene in Vancouver inhabits. We attempted to relate our favorite local artists to likeminded international artists and the concept developed from there. We wanted to illustrate through the connection of attuned international artists that what is happening in Vancouver is seen as significant and relative to the global art scene. After realizing the sinister implications of the term ‘doppelganger’, we found the term bilocation to be a more appropriate term surrounding our idea.

Bilocation: Less ominous, slightly different in nature but similar to the notion of the ‘doppelganger’, it is the “ostensibly supernatural act of appearing or being in two or more locations simultaneously” (Wiki). We, as curators, play with the notion of doppelganger, realizing the negative connotations surrounding the folklore of the term and the inherent irony of us 1. attempting the impossible task of pairing artistic doubles, and 2. it is commonly considered unwise to communicate with a doppelganger, and to see one’s own is a bad omen. Our subversion or recontextualizing of these meanings is playful, inspiring the idea of a global network of idiosyncratic ‘doubles’. Instead of doppelganger or bilocation evoking inauspicious suppositions, we delve into seeking out its occurrence to expand a network of artists and establish, as said before, a more developed sense of global community.

If bilocation is seen in some instances as being related to the psyche, we wish to utilize the LES Gallery’s location as a theoretical form of consciousness for these ‘doubles’.

link: LES Gallery

download beautiful catalog here: pdf