"The Idea of North": Isabella Bortolozzi.(art exhibition)

An exhibition about the north seems like a timely event, as global warming alters the nature of the Arctic. But if guest curator Dieter Roelstraete hoped to challenge rustic, romantic fantasies about northernness, he should have used a compass, if not a reality check. The group show of Canadian artists featured Allison Hrabluik, Zin Taylor, and Ron Terada. By attributing special insight about the north to Canadians--80 percent of whom live within 150 miles of the country's southern border with the United States, which is to say, not very far north--Roelstraete offered a symptom of the fantasy he would like to diagnose. Glenn Gould's 1967 radio piece was likely an inspiration …