Penance is intended to represent a bizarre act of self-punishment and humiliation for the guilt of environmental destruction. MY WEBSITE: http://www.garethbate.com

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CREDITS:
Artist & Performer: Gareth Bate
Street Filming: Saglara Kitchikova
Studio & Country Filming: Gareth Bate
Editing: Gareth Bate
Special Thanks: Carolyn Dinsmore & Georgina Neville

WATCH IN HQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ona1xpDnRr8&fmt=18

PRESS:
Penance was recently mentioned in the canada's national newspaper the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Checkerspot a Climate Change magazine, Toronto's Xtra, L'Express, Metropolitain and SNAP newspapers.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
I am an artist based in Toronto, Canada.
The performance video Penance is intended to represent a bizarre act of self-punishment and humiliation for the guilt of environmental destruction. It also captures a sense of helplessness in the face of the overwhelming accumulation of problems facing the world. What can I do? I see this act as half serious and half ridiculous. In November 2007 I crawled on my stomach with a reconstructed field of grass on my back along Torontos Queen Street West starting at Soho Street. When I reached the busy intersection of Spadina Avenue I was faced with the dilemma of taking it to the next level and crossing the street, or turning back. Rather than take the risk, like our society I crawled backwards instead. After two painful and tiring hours I had to give up. The Penance video moves back and forth between the agonizing performance, the bewildered response of onlookers, and contemplative scenes of gleaning grass in the countryside. Reconstructing the body piece out of grass gleaned from the countryside was itself a reflective act. Agnès Vardas beautiful film The Gleaners and I was an inspiration for the gleaning process. Penance is my first performance and is best understood within the context of my paintings, installations and videos.

See the still photos from PENANCE...
http://www.garethbate.com/artwork_pages_folder/artwork_fi...

EXHIBITIONS:
This piece has been exhibited in Toronto as a large projection at Glendon Gallery, York University Glendon Campus, Gallery 260 at 401 Richmond, and in November at the Gladstone Hotel "Hard Twist" exhibition. It is available in high quality DVD for exhibition. Contact me via my website. (less info)