Cindy Baker: Gimmick

Additional Information

Other associated events: Opening reception and artist's talk Saturday, May 10, 2:00 pm, followed by a 30 minute magic performance by Jack Scrip from Blackjack Magic.

Gimmick consists of 11 stage-scale magic prop sculptures created by Saskatoon-based artist Cindy Baker. Each one has moving parts, mirrors, curtains, trapdoors, or a trick of some kind to figure out, and the audience is welcome to try and discover the secrets within. If magic is a "cult"ure, a secret society, then this body of work is an anthropological display of magic artifacts as discovered by a culture with no understanding of that society, completely lacking contextualization. In true magician's form, however, most of the artworks are props of themselves, mockups for gimmicks that never existed, or models for imagined gimmicks that would never work. Many of the sculptures in this body of work have moving parts; mirrors, curtains, trapdoors, or a trick of some kind to figure out, and the audience is welcome to discover the secrets within. The trouble is that a magic show dazzles you with the illusion but refuses to give up the secret - it's what keeps you coming back for more. But because none of these works are based on real or existing magic tricks, Gimmick gives away its secrets - but can't dazzle you with the illusion.

Cindy Baker, Gimmicks (Installation View), 2008.