Rocky Dobey: Civilization and its Discontents

Rocky Dobey
Civilization and its Discontents

November 8 – December 7, 2024
Gagné Contemporary, Toronto

Gagné Contemporary is pleased to present Civilization and its Discontents, a collection of new work by artist and political activist Rocky Dobey, running November 8 – December 7, 2024.

This is Rocky’s third solo show with the gallery, now at our new location at 401 Richmond Street West, Toronto.

The exhibition features all new work, and extends Rocky’s critique on the world we’ve built for ourselves. Extraordinarily detailed metalwork that includes ceramic paint, machinist ink, copper nails and asphaltum sees the artist reaching for new heights. Subjects as timeless as mythology and history, and as contemporary as AI, crashing cars and gentrification, inform the new artworks.

Rocky’s striking imagery of demonic towers toppled in flames, horrific machines and cryptic symbols of oppression have been drawing attention to social and civic issues like prison and justice reform, neighbourhood gentrification, globalization, indigenous sovereignty and homelessness for some time. Now, with the entirety of Civilization on the drawing board, Rocky has fabricated one of the centrepieces of the exhibition – Wrecking Ball.

Wrecking Ball is a large, heavily inscribed urban meteor with imagery and language we now associate with the artist – tattooed knives, buildings as tentacles, glittering chandeliers, a falling man reminiscent of 9/11, and the words “sometimes, not very often, we feel lucky”. Not so lucky, perhaps, are the houses arranged around the wrecking ball, themselves wonderfully ornate constructions, oblivious to the impending cataclysm. Wrecking Ball arrives like the scarred, bolted and riveted Frankenstein that it is.

Civilization and its Discontents is in fact the title of Sigmund Freud’s book, first published in 1929, which famously explores the sources for humanity’s suffering – namely the tension between a society’s laws and an individual’s animal instincts. Of course, suppressing instinct and sublimating desire have been known to lead to various psychoses!

Rocky Dobey has shown his work nationally and internationally, including Mercer Union Gallery, Toronto (1998), Massachusetts MoCa, MA (2008), ABC No Rio, NYC (2006), Exit Art Gallery, NYC (2010), Propeller Gallery, Toronto (2010), International Print Center, NYC (2020), and Gagné Contemporary, Toronto (2021, 2023).

Gagné Contemporary began as a curatorial practice in New York City, 2016-2020. The gallery now has two locations in Toronto. In the west end, Gagné Contemporary is located in the 401 Richmond St West building, Lower Level. In the east end, Gagné Contemporary Projects is located in a former horse stable in the laneway beside Hideaway Park, Leslieville (Pape & Dundas St E).

Gagné Contemporary
401 Richmond St West, Lower Level
Toronto, ON M5V 3A8 Canada
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 12-6pm, and by appointment.
Call or text: 647-657-6373