Lot 266: Stan Douglas b. 1960 Creek at McBride Bay Cibachrome print image: 18 by 22in. 45.7 by 55.9cm. shee...

Stan Douglas b. 1960 Creek at McBride Bay Cibachrome print image: 18 by 22in. 45.7 by 55.9cm. sheet: 20 by 24in. 50.8 by 61cm. Executed in 1996, this work is from the Nootka Sound series and is from an edition of 7. This film still from Douglas' Nootka Soundseries exemplifies the artist's theme of ecological devastation of historical colonialist power, as reflected by the ravaging of the virgin woods of native North America. Nootka Sound is on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and this harbor's lucrative trade and natural resources made it the subject of a colonial power struggle between the Spanish and the English in the late 18th century. The video installation is one of Douglas'masterfully complex constructions of sound and image. The audio track presents monologues from the opposing commanders, relating their alternating psychological states, while two overlapping panoramas of Nootka Sound render the landscape tantalizingly out of focus. Our vision of Nootka Sound becomes clear only briefly when the two narratives synchronize to portray the two men's madness simultaneously. This image of a verdant wood with lush greens and moist earth is emblematic of the series as a whole. The cascading timbers and rocks belie the harmony we associate with Romantic visions of the New World. The remnants of a doorway on the right betray the presence of European man, and the collapsed building implies the destruction which Civilization often brings to unspoiled worlds. Grounded in the specifics of place, Douglas'images and themes subtly convey universal messages. Provenance David Zwirner, New York Exhibited New York, Guggenheim Museum Soho, The Hugo Boss Prize: 1996, November 1996 - January 1997 Vancouver Art Gallery; Edmonton Art Gallery; Tilburg, Netherlands, De Pont; Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art, Stan Douglas, February 1999 - April 2001