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It’s impossible to refer to Generation X without thinking of Douglas Coupland, who popularized the coinage with a book of the same name in 1991. His written work often acts as a weathervane for popular culture, serving largely as an observational tool while offering a bit of aesthetic zing.
Coupland, 47, reverses this ratio with his visual art which offers impact first and invites commentary second. Only lately has the longtime Vancouver resident been gaining recognition as an artist, despite years as a sculpture and design student in Vancouver, Milan and Tokyo.
His ongoing fascination with Andy Warhol informs much of his work; more recently, Matricide features a series of silk-screened Marilyn Monroe portraits plastered in decals and stickers while Talking Sticks uses children’s blocks to incongruously spell out adult conceits such as “Fubar” and “Hot Shit.”
He employs a delicious sense of self-referencing in his use of books as a frequent medium, whether applying chain letter-esque text atop old Penguin book covers or crafting a faux hornet’s nest out of chewed up pages from the Gideon Bible. But it is Coupland’s public art that allows Canadians to experience his creative vision within a patriotic context.
Last year, he unveiled the Monument to the War of 1812 which shows two oversized toy-like soldiers – one defeated on its back, the other victorious – marking the historic site of Fort York in Toronto. A clock tower in an outdoor shopping complex bursts with generic whitewashed house sculptures, a not-so-subtle reminder of the time-warped suburban neighbourhood in which it is situated.
New sculptures will also punctuate a forthcoming eight-acre park in downtown Toronto that faces a giant condo complex. Coupland, who is represented by Clark & Faria in Toronto and Vancouver, insists he is not out to make art that speaks to a specific moment in time.
“If you try to do any work as a zeitgeist exercise, it can only fail,” he says. “The lesson is to simply do what you're going to do in any medium.” Does being Canadian shape the way he is perceived as an artist, for better or for worse? “It makes people more curious about me, I think.” Not that they needed another reason.
The Bombardier Learjet
Read the article: Bombardier Learjet
Interior of the Learjet
Read the article: Bombardier Learjet
The Staircase House by Cindy Rendely, Toronto
Read the article: Cindy Rendely
Coast restaurant, Vancouver
Read the article: Coast restaurant
Supernova by Douglas Coupland
Read the article: Douglas Coupland's art
Talking sticks by Douglas Coupland
Penguin Pretty Vacant by Douglas Coupland
Coyote by Douglas Coupland
Patricide by Douglas Coupland
Penguin Cumshot by Douglas Coupland
Penguin Clash by Douglas Coupland
Matricide Silver Skate by Douglas Coupland
Matricide Beer by Douglas Coupland
Drip Maple Syrup
Read the article: Drip Maple Syrup
Form & Forest by D'Arcy Jones Design
Read the article: Form & Forest
The Keefer Hotel, Vancouver
Read the article: Keefer Hotel
Laneway House, Toronto, by Kohn Shnier architects
Read the article: Kohn Shnier, Toronto
Richmond Olympic Oval by Cannon Design
Read the article: Vancouver Winter Olympic architecture
Territory table and chairs by Samare Design, Montreal
Read the article: Samare design, Montreal
Territory lounger by Samare design
Territory desk and chair by Samare design
R-Mountie bench and throw by Samare design
Still House by Level Design, Vancouver
Read the article: Level Design, Vancouver
Sunset Cabin by Taylor_Smyth Architects, Toronto
Read the article: Taylor_Smyth Architects, Toronto
40R_Laneway House by Süperkul, Toronto
Read the article: Süperkul, Toronto
SHIFT Cottage by Süperkul
The Trans Canada Trail
Read the article: Trans Canada trail
Nylon Haneda by WANT luggage
WANT luggage, Montreal
Newberry White by WANT luggage
Nylon Haneda by WANT luggage
Dumont black by WANT luggage
Carl Phare's wooden rollercoaster, designed in 1958, Vancouver
Read the article: Wooden rollercoaster
Fashion by Ying Gao
Read the article: Ying Gao, Montreal
