News

Artists-in-residence at the Centre for Art Tapes, Halifax, July/August 2019.

Entertaining Every Second is a new body of performance and sculptural work by Life of a Craphead (Amy Lam and Jon McCurley) that engages with experiences and representations of western imperialism in Asia. The title of comes from a Nam June Paik quote: “I am a poor [wo]man from a poor country, so I have to be entertaining every second.”
◉ Centre Clark, Montreal, Feb. 28 to April 6, 2019. Opening Thurs. Feb. 28, 8pm. Artist talk Sat. March 2, 3pm.
◉ Truck Gallery, Calgary, AB presented in conjunction with M:ST Performative Art Biennial, Sept. 7, 2018 to Oct. 20, 2018.
◉ aka artist-run, Saskatoon, Jan. 17 to Feb. 16, 2019. For this iteration of the show, Life of a Craphead have initiated a long-term agreement between the gallery and Jin Jin Cuisine, the restaurant next door. Curated by cheyanne turions and Su-Ying Lee.

Longlisted for the 2018 Sobey Art Award

Artists-in-residence at the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture, Dawson City, Yukon, Nov. 2017

Sundays Oct 29, Nov 5, Nov 12, and Nov 19, 2017, 1-4pm. Viewable along the Lower Don Trail, from the Queen St. Bridge north to around Riverdale Pedestrian Bridge. The Queen St. Bridge is wheelchair accessible, with staircase access to the trail. There is also staircase access to the trail from the Riverdale Pedestrian Bridge. The trail is wheelchair accessible from the south end, starting at Corktown Commons. For the Don River Valley Park, curated by Kari Cwynar.

Art Metropole, Sat. Oct 14, 2-5pm, Toronto

Comics (available as poster prints with custom magnets) and interview with Amil Niazi in Vice

Artist talk with Jon McCurley of Life of a Craphead at Flotilla, the biennial gathering of artist-run centres in Canada, Friday Sept. 22 at 11am in Charlottetown, PEI

Artists-in-Residence at Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, Sackville, NB from August-Sept. 2017. Talk on Sept. 7, 2017 at 7.30pm. PLUS screening of Bugs on Sept. 13 at 7.30pm.

Last Doored show ever at Double Double Land, Toronto ~ Tuesday August 1, 2017, 7.30pm. www.doored.tv

Bugs screening at Platform Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts, Winnipeg, from April 7- May 20, 2017: screening times on Platform site.

Recording of Sounds of Venice collab performance with Geoffrey Farmer in Spring 2017 issue of Canadian Art as 7″ flexidisc (for subscribers only)

second-last Doored ever ~~ at the AGO, Friday March 31st, hosted by Life of a Craphead doored.tv

in residence Feb. 5- March 15, 2017 at New Space Arts Foundation, Huế, Vietnam

in residence December 1, 2016 – January 19, 2017 macdowellcolony.org

Amy is in Public Recordings’ Capitalist Duets at the Theatre Centre, Nov. 24-27, with Aliya Pabani. “CAPITALIST DUETS is seven, independently-authored duets performed simultaneously as an unaffected spectacle, complete with merchandise table. There is no composer, no architect, no central authority–only the radical aesthetic modulation of fourteen paired-off performers, each holding tenuously to the logic of their own creation.” Tix & info

Opening Nov. 26, 2016 ~ LOAC Xmas Tree at Paul Petro Contemporary Art

Sat. Oct. 29, 2016 * Performance of John Cage’s “Sounds of Venice,” with Geoffrey Farmer. Presented by the National Gallery of Canada and Art Toronto

Weds. Sept 7, 2016 at Double Double Land, Toronto
ft. performances by: jes sachse, Christian Arab, Bridget Moser, Joshua Vettivelu, Lauren Bride, Aliya Pabani, Rebaie by Rebee, and more. hosted by Life of a Craphead doored.tv

✘ August 18-21 — St. John’s, NL / HOLD FAST Contemporary Arts Festival, Eastern Edge Gallery screening on Thurs. 8pm, with lo-budget filmmaking workshop with Life of a Craphead on Sat. 12pm
✘ July 29-31 — Meaford, ON / Electric Eclectics Festival
✘ July 21 — Hamilton, ON / Hamilton Artists Inc.
✘ July 13 — Philadelphia / PhilaMOCA
✘ July 12 — Baltimore / The Crown, hosted by Wham City
✘ July 7 — Brooklyn NYC / Spectacle (2 screenings: 7.30pm & 10pm)
✘ July 6 — Manhattan NYC / Parsons School of Design, Room M101 (Bark Room), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 2 W 13th St., 8pm
✘ June 29 — Portland / S1, co-presented with Stand Up Comedy
✘ June 16 — Los Angeles / Night Gallery, **U.S. Premiere**

✘ April 9, 9pm @ Ed Video, Guelph ON
✘ Feb. 26th, 8pm @ LOMAA, London ON
✘ Feb. 11th, 8pm @ La Plante, Montreal

March 1-14, 2016 – leading a winter residency program artscapegibraltarpoint.ca

Jan. 21-March 5 2016. Life of a Craphead have a new work in the Showroom exhibition, curated by Sarah Robayo-Sheridan (“Model for Water Route Waterfront Development Project”) & are curating the exhibition’s associated performance series, with performances by 6 artists on Sat. Feb 6 & Sat. March 5

Screenings Dec. 4 & 11, 2015 — tix available here. Bugs — the first feature-length film by LOAC — is a satire about a bug society and its most successful family. The story follows the Bug leader, Shay, who is retiring and has to choose which one of his three nieces will take over the bug version of Toronto. The film features a fun and scrappy aesthetic designed by artist Laura McCoy and a large and hilarious cast of other artists and comedians.

2pm EST at Double Double Land, Toronto // 8pm at Showroom MAMA, Rotterdam, as part of the exhibition “Laff Box”
Performances by Bridget Moser, Christian Arab, Jesi the Elder, Laura McCoy, Peg & Buzz, Neil Lapierre, Sebastian Butt & Charlie Murray, with videos by Aliya Pabani and Zoe Solomon. Hosted by Life of a Craphead. For more info: doored.tv

LOAC are in artists-in-residence at Flux Factory, New York for the month of June 2015.

featuring performances by Neil Lapierre Bridget Moser Fake Injury Party Laura McCoy Lisa Smolkin Charlie Murray and Sebastian Butt Jesi the Elder also with Doored Intro – Weird Glenn Doored Music – Man Made Hill Doored Animation – Steph Davidson Doored Sculpture – Nikki Woolsey Doored Merch – Steve Kado Doored Video – Cale Weir and Inez Genereux Doored Hosts – Life of a Craphead

http://front.bc.ca/events/bugs-life-of-a-craphead-and-laura-mccoy “A response to Disney movies like A Bug’s Life, the film (81 min.) is a modern-day fable about a bug society that expresses satirical ideas about success and individualism within a fantasy world. Extending outward from the screen space of the film, the installation (made in collaboration with Laura McCoy) moves through the entire building, toying with the notions of hype and publicity that are a part of going to see a movie. Both playful and irreverent, the exhibition embodies the humorous DIY ethos at the heart of Life of a Craphead’s artistic practice.” ** early version of the film screened **

* ARTIST TALK / WELCOME ~ Tues Nov 19th 2013, 6pm Star and Shadow Cinema, Stepney Bank, Newcastle upon Tyne

presented by Residence – http://residence.org.uk/2013/11/21/hideaway-artist-talk-life-of-a-craphead/

Sunday Oct. 27th, 4:30pm, Art Toronto stage Art Toronto, Metro Toronto Convention Center

The Life of a Craphead Fifty Year Retrospective, 2006-2056 Opening Weds March 27th – May 5th, 2013 * With a closing performance on Thursday May 2nd as part of First Thursday.
In the Community Gallery, Weston Family Learning Centre, Art Gallery of Ontario

We were at the Experimental Comedy Training Camp at the Banff Centre in Oct – Sept 2012

for the AGYU Performance Bus

Yonge and Dundas square is the place (unresearched) for people to promote themselves in public in Toronto. New to that intersection is a ‘scramble crossing’ where all cars stop and pedestrians can cross all ways for 30 seconds. Please Copy us Forever is a performance where 30+ scripted characters sell crap and advertise their skills to the crowd in the middle of the scramble during crazy 30 second bursts. We want other people to copy us and create a hilarious role playing culture of pretending to sell things on the street. Performances on Saturday Feb 19, 4-5pm Saturday Feb 26, 4-5pm at Yonge and Dundas intersection, Toronto With Gwen Bienara, Felix Kalmenson, Mark Connery, Adriana Disman, Adam Cowan, Charlie Murray, Xan Hawes, Simon Schlesinger, Mark Rainey, Chandler Levack, Claudia Wittman, Matt Smith, Glenn Macauley, Daniel Vila, Zoe Gordini, Filip Anton, Jeremy Tracz, Zeesy Powers, Vanessa Rieger, Jamie Shannon, Jesjit Gill, Sari Lightman, Romy Lightman, Matt King, Seth Scriver, Christian Scriver, Nazarah Scriver, Patricia Scriver, Tower of Randy, Alex Mackenzie, Steph Davidson, Yuula Benivolski, & MC CUP.

Life of a Craphead with all these guys from Baltimore THE ROSTER FOR THE WHAM CITY COMEDY TOUR: Stand Up Comedy: Mason Ross Ben O’Brien Robby Rackleff Ed Schrader (as David Bowie) Adam Endres (as Egg Schrader (an Egg)) Pete O’Connell Solo Plays: Mason Ross performing the “At the End of Infinite Rope” April Camlin performing an epic ventriloquist act with her puppet “Glucuous” Alan Resnick lecturing on motion tracking and fantasies Duo Comedy Ram Ones (Dan Deacon and Connor Kizer as a Police Chief and Police Officer respectively) Dish Towel and Wine Glass (Mason Ross and Connor Kizer) Musical Guests: the Creepers (Adam Endres and Connor Kizer, video below) Videos by Dina Kelberman (creator of Important Comics), Ben, Mason, Dan, Adam, and Robby www.whamcity.com/

We will be doing comedy and Katie Crown and Kathleen Phillips will be doing comedy tooo

at Hotel MariaKapel, Hoorn, The Netherlands We’re here March – May 2010 Yooooooooo we made a blog while there, http://honkifyouarehoorny.blogspot.com/ And we made a Storytelling Cube

Annual Xmas Sale! + this year: the GIFT BOX: inside, 4 multiples from a selection from 14 possible artists: Stephen Andrews, Bill Burns, James Carl, Janis Demkiw, Andy Fabo, Aaron Flint Jamison / Veneer Magazine, Amy Lam, Tanya Mars, Jason Mclean + Mark Delong, Sandy Plotnikoff, Seth Scriver, Cheryl Sourkes, and Derek Sullivan. These boxed gifts are available in a limited edition of 20 for $100 each. Specially decorated by Seth Scriver. Big steal! All love. And special gifts on Sat Dec 12 & 19 by fantastic CN Tower Liquidation & Cecilia Berkovic.

Life of a Craphead Interviews Life of a Craphead in Font by Life of a Craphead. Out now in stores!

The great American writer, Lawrence Weschler (who was on the staff of The New Yorker for 20 years and is considered by many one of the best narrative non-fiction writers working) is being brought to town by Sheila Heti and Margaux Williamson’s production company, THE PRODUCTION FRONT, for an evening in which we, along with some great local artists and journalists, will try and figure out a better way of thinking about art in our time than along the increasingly confusing spectrum (or line) of fiction/non-fiction. In other words: We need a new line! This event will be incredibly athletic, like all good game shows. MOST of the tickets will be available for advance purchase from Soundscapes for $10, starting the morning of November 20th. There will also be some tickets available at the door, on sale one hour before the show. WITH: Douglas Bell, Shary Boyle, Ulysses Castellanos, Lynn Crosbie, Jon Davies, Kelly Jenkins, Amy Lam, Jon McCurley, Darren O’Donnell, Christine Pountney, Nadja Sayej, Hosted by Misha Glouberman.

Life of a Craphead, Emma McKenna, LS DoubleD cup For our friends PUNCHCLOCK printing studio

Craphead does Stand-up, it’s a comedy night OK Hosted by our awesome friends Laugh Sabbath

“world’s smallest comedy club” is screening a Life of a Craphead comedy routine 2009 G22 G22 g22 G22 g22 g22 g22 g22

But in New York City this time Sometime between 7-10 pm Life of a Craphead does Comedy 307 W. 26th Street

Sheila Heti, Darren O’Donnell, Margaux Williamson, Lauren Bride, Life of a Craphead at THE MOUNT, EDITH WHARTON’S ESTATE AND GARDENS LOOK AT THIS HOUSE in Lenox, MA

at Power Ball 11, May 28 2009, The Power Plant by Life of a Craphead

at Jamie’s Area, 193 Augusta Ave Toronto ON with Robert Dayton, & TBA

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 5919 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood LA. 11pm

With The Blankket & TBA Presented by Club Sandwich

With The Blankket, Aaron Flint Jamison, & White Fang 7:30pm

At Department of Safety 1011 12th St. Anacortes, WA, USA Mondays at 7pm, February 9, 16, 23

A play written & exhibition organized by Jon McCurley, worked on by everybody and the REVOLUTION. Nikki Woolsey, Laura McCoy, Wes Allen, Matt Smith, Dave Clarke, Nika Mistruzzi, Jesjit Gill, Uncle Dave… & Miles Collyer, Robin Fry, Zoe Barcza, Sarah Richardson, Bonny Poon, Cameron Lee, Xenia Benivolski, Matt Smith… & more At Gallery TPW. 56 Ossington, Toronto ON

At Wavelength Music Series, with The Blankket. Sneaky Dee’s, Toronto. 10pm ish

Life of a Craphead as Librarians. First Opening is on June 19 with Swintak until June 27, then us, then Darren O’Donnell from July onwards. Curated by Maiko Tanaka and Sarah Todd. 1277 Bloor St. W

One night at Cinecycle with Anagram Istvan Kantor Amy Lam DOY Jimmy Limit Allison Peacock The Blankket SARZ Robin Fry/ Zoe Barcza The Huckleberry Friends Steve Baczkowski/ Ravi Padmanabha curated by Bonny Poon 9pm, down the alley of 129 Spadina

Life of a Craphead Comedy Routine! Back to Mime!

Life of a Craphead New Thing Travelling Store in Montreal. Eglise Saint-Enfant Jesus, 5035 rue St-Dominique 12-6PM both days!!!

w/ Lightning Bolt, BARR, Marnie Stern, Ecstatic Sunshine, High Places and Panther

Ephemeroptera Gallery, 171-175 Stockholm St., Brooklyn NY

feat. Levi MacDougall, Chris Locke, Brian Barlow, etc. etc. Rivoli, 332 Queen St. W, Toronto. 9PM!

SATURDAY DEC 9 – JAN 7 Opening Saturday Dec. 9 between 2-5pm.

30,000 sq. foot space that used to be a sock factory, 2nd floor of 224 Wallace, Toronto. PS – Party at Trip Print Press upstairs afterwards, with musical guest Katie Stelmanis.