VINCENT TRASOV: THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF MR. PEANUTS MAYORAL CAMPAIGN

POP UP EXHIBITION: ONE DAY ONLY
2207 CAMBIE ST., Vancouver
South Creek Landing building
Foot of Cambie Bridge on the south side

SAT, NOV 15, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Reception at 2 p.m.
Artist will be in attendance.

For inquiries, please contact:
Wil Aballe Art Projects | WAAP
www.WAAPart.com
+1 778 229 3458

Artist Vincent Trasov ran for mayor of Vancouver in 1974 as Mr. Peanut. Vincent Trasov was also a founding member of the Western Front. With the help of the Vancouver artists’ community, he ran for an art city on an art-centric platform: P for Performance, E for Elegance, A for Art, N for Nonsense, U for Uniqueness, and T for Talent. Mr Peanut didn’t win the election but captured a lot of media and the attention of City Hall. Trasov’s performance brought Vancouver to national and international attention and received features in Esquire magazine and Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. Beat writer William S Burroughs, who happened to be in town, endorsed his candidacy for Mayor:

“I would like to take this opportunity to endorse the candidacy of Mr. Peanut for mayor of Vancouver. Mr. Peanut is running on the art platform, and art is the creation of illusion. Since the inexorable logic of reality has created nothing but insoluble problems, it is now time for illusion to take over. And there can only be one illogical candidate: Mr. Peanut.”

Mr Peanut got 2685 votes, or 3.4% of total votes cast, and incumbent Art Phillips won the day.

This pop-up event will include tapes from the 1974 civic election and other adventures of Mr. Peanut, and a collection of his drawings marking the 40th anniversary of the Mr. Peanut’s mayoralty campaign. Artist will be in attendance: 11:am to 4:00 pm on Saturday November 15, 2014.

Concurrently, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery and the Walter C. Koerner Library at the University of British Columbia has an exhibition of artifacts from the campaign at Koerner Library, 1958 Main Mall. It will run until January 4, 2015.

http://www.belkin.ubc.ca/current/mr-peanut-campaign-for-mayor-koerner-library

 This exhibition has been made possible in partnership with the Burrard Arts Foundation and with generous assistance by Port Capital Group.