Transformation, inspiration & glam rock in Lisa Anita Wegner’s STARDUST: Life on Jupiter? opening night

I dropped by The Black Cat Gallery (2186 Dundas Street West) last night for the Transformation at Lisa Anita Wegner’s opening of STARDUST: Life on Jupiter?, on until August 6 (no worries about what it says on the poster – I confirmed the date with Wegner).

Described as a Transformation/ Projection/Live Art Making/Live Collaboration project, here’s what the Haus of Dada Laboratory had to say about this exhibit:

A one-of-a-kind event, Stardust: Life On Jupiter? incorporates the focus on re-birth, redemption, transformation, and search for truth through the adoption of personae that has been a key part of Lisa Anita Wegner’s art practice in her journey to reclaim her life from the personal darkness into which she was plunged six years ago.

Friends, family and Ziggy fans alike hung out together in an intimate, casual atmosphere, sharing a drink and chatting as Wegner’s transformation happened in the middle of the room as Ziggy videos played on the wall behind her. The hair colour came two days earlier, the eyebrow waxing that afternoon (along with a mani-pedi). Stylist Wanda MacRae (who freelances as a makeup artist and colourist, and just got a new gig at Parlour Salon at their Queen Street East location) used a straight razor to shape Wegner’s hair into a Ziggy mullet, then hair spraying to get the volume up front on top. After a break, Wegner returned to the chair, her white lab coat now covering her costume, so Wanda could do the makeup. Hair and makeup were followed by ceremonial milk consumption and a cosmetic dusting with white face powder – a nod to Ziggy’s diet of milk and cocaine.

Then, the reveal. It’s quite remarkable how much like Ziggy she is. Confetti and noise makers announced the emergence from the transformative process.

Here are some images from the STARDUST: Life on Jupiter? opening night event, transformation process:

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Wegner will be at The Black Cat Gallery every day (from 2 – 6 p.m.) for the duration of the exhibit, as she continues to explore the project live and in real-time. The process will culminate in a closing night event (Aug 6 at 7 p.m.), featuring a special, one night only “Stardusted” version of Wegner’s Queen of the Parade installation (a collaborative work with fashion designer Vanessa Lee Wishart, which appeared during Toronto’s Nuit Blanche 2013 and ArtRageous in Motion).

In the meantime, you can also find Wegner on Facebook, Twitter and on her YouTube channel.

And check out the first interview I did with her.