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Politics and Place at CityScape if SG Lee Distant places and present politics are the jumping off point for two shows at North Vancouver's CityScape Community Art Space. In Oil, Terror and the Super Unconscious, painters Zoe Pawlak and Richard Whatley and multimedia artist Ryan Hultman enter into the debate over war as a way to peace and consumerism as the ultimate expression of freedom. Khatta Meetha reflects the experiences of three very different artists in India. The artists of "Oil" challenge our unconsciousness and complicity: "troops h a v e b e e n s e n t to all p a r t s of the w o r l d to fight a g a i n s t the threat of terror, u n d e r the flag of p e a c e , a u t o n o m y a n d f r e e d o m for all. T h e r e a r e m a n y r e a s o n s g i v e n for t h i s w a r o n terror, but t h e f u r t h e r o n e d i g s , oil a n d power s e e m to stand at the root." P a w l a k , w h o s e past w o r k i n c l u d e s portraits of the dead and missing women of V a n c o u v e r ' s d o w n t o w n east s i d e , contributes deliciously colourful and eerily peaceful l a n d s c a p e p a i n t i n g s of oil f i e l d s . T h e titles of t h e s e w o r k s further jar the c o n s c i o u s n e s s of the v i e w e r by i n c o r p o r a t i n g the n a m e s of S U V s , a s in "Durango Savana." me to my Homeland Imagery from n e w s video stills a n d old 16 m m film, m a n i p u l a t e d to create a b s t r a c t i o n s in v a r i o u s m e d i a , convey artist Ryan H u l t m a n ' s s e n s e of the d i s c o n n e c t b e t w e e n our seemingly safe c o n s u m e r society and the reality of war. P a i n t e r R i c h a r d W h a t l e y ' s large-scale c a n v a s s e s depict explosions w h i c h , he s a y s , " h a v e r e p l a c e d l a n g u a g e as a way in w h i c h to c o m m u n i c a t e polarized political, financial a n d religious a g e n d a s . " Gassed - Ryan Hultman Rocket Tower - Ryan Hultman