World Upside Down / Le Monde a l'Envers

The world upside down is one in which the symbolic order is turned on its head. It is a world visualized by artists where killer rabbits hunt humans and Superman is a hero of the Soviet Union. It is the Planet of the Apes as an allegory of racial discrimination. It is a place where Aboriginal North Americans dine alfresco at Edouard Manet's expense. This richly illustrated book portrays works of contemporary art and prose as examples of this powerful satiric creative impulse. Richard William Hill provides a context to the modern work presented in this volume with the history of this "art of inversion" in the visual arts of the Middle Ages and Early Modern periods. This catalogue accompanies World Upside Down, an exhibition curated by Richard William Hill, held at the Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff (September 30, 2006 - March 4, 2007); and co-produced with Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston; Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; Musée d'art de Joliette.