Couldn’t help but think of Afke Golsteijn’s work when i saw the Somnambulic pieces, by Canadian artist Martin Beauregard. They trigger the confusion between cuddly toys and dead animals, between play-acting and hunting rites. Confronting the world of childhood fantasy and the harsh brutality of game hunting causes a shift in meaning, a displacement of signs and symbols that create unsettling tension.

Wake Up Teddy! is a giant stuffed toy whose fur is made from the real skin of a bear. Jewel in the Head shows a trophy-like moose whose horns have been plated in silver, namely the materialization of the symbol of victory.

Old Boys is a series of photographs showing hunters proudly displaying their “kill” in a dreamlike, eerie and ghostly atmosphere.

The exhibition also includes video projections of past performance pieces and a “visual poem.”

Show runs till 4 February 2006 at Location One, New York.

Via flavorpill NYC.