This visual arts collection, titled The Cost of Living, by Lenny Gallant, shifts viewers’ awareness away from art as aesthetic, to art as livelihood. It does this by using its pricing/value to reflect monthly bills. Each monthly bill amount is displayed alongside the art piece, as its price. A regional element is also included, comparing the monthly cost of living for the artist, in Prince Edward Island, to that of a working individual in Edmonton, Alberta. The “Mortgage” and “Home Heating” pieces were shown at The Guild Gallery in Charlottetown, PE, this summer as Part of the Here. Now. Group Exhibit.

The monthly “needs” bills were for PEI and AB, for the month of January 2018:

• St. Georges, PEI = $2,642

• Edmonton, AB = $2,990

Click on each image for a closer look:

Mortgage:

(PE) It Doesn’t Matter Where the Cave Is (AB) The Paleobotanist’s Dream

$488.00 $1400.00

Food:

(PE) A Questionable Pyramid (AB) It Comes From Somewhere

$400.00 $400.00

Home Heating:

(PE) Where the Smoke and The Clouds Meet (AB) Eternal Flame

$200.00 (SOLD) $145.00

Property Tax:

(PE) The Little Robot Tax Man WILL Find You (AB) Tax Free Is Not Free

$75.00 $150.00

Electricity:

(PE) The Power We Need (AB) Solar

$230.84 $165.00

Gas/Travel:

(PE) The Commute Can Be a Lonely Place (AB) More Sky Than Anything Else

$200.00 $300.00

Insurance:

(PE) A Dark Worrisome Box With No Room For Magic (AB) Stay Inside With the Lights On

$140.84 $200.00

Communications:

(PE) Eye Contact Will Keep Us All Honest (AB) Dial It In

$230.00 $238.87

Medical:

Loans:

Again, here are the totals for the month of January 2018:

• St. Georges, PEI = $2,642

• Edmonton, AB = $2,990

The pieces that have not already been sold will be available in our online Quirkshop gallery in the coming weeks. You may also make an appointment to view them in our physical Quirkshop.