The Diefenbunker was Canada’s cold war nuclear bunker and now is a museum. It’s not your every day art gallery.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I joined a tour of the bunker with Artist-in-residence Gail Bourgeois. Gail is showing over 100 artworks throughout the 300-room bunker. Most of her work consists of period archival images upon which Gail has layered drawings and motifs, commenting on the cold war and this consummately eerie place.
Gail’s artworks are distributed throughout the aging rooms and installations, presented as though they were plausibly an integral part of the shelter itself. They make you ponder: is this an artifact or artwork? I was struck by how this place may have passed as normal for the times, but to us now, assisted by Gail’s interventions, it looks unnatural, surreal, bizarre.
Gail’s exhibition “To warn other Canadians” runs until 28 September and she is hosting artist-led tours on the 16th of August as well as the 27th of September. To reserve a spot, just email the museum at marketing@diefenbunker.ca.
Read more about Gail’s residency in the Epoch Times
Learn more about the Diefenbunker at the museum’s website
By the way John Diefenbaker never set foot inside the Diefenbunker!
