Is there such a thing as trash, or is “trash” just the word we give to forgotten things? HAS This show is trash at the Galerie du Pavillon des Beaux-Arts (FAB), artists Tanya Klimp and Darcy Fraser Macdonald challenge human perceptions of waste and value. The result is a museum-like exhibition full of mind-blowing paradoxes.

Klimp is a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate in painting and Macdonald is an MFA Intermedia candidate. In This show is trashthey each use a variety of unusual mediums to modernize the past. While some works of art have obvious visual appeal, others rely heavily on symbolism and sentimental value.

Macdonald enjoys hunting for artifacts in the North Saskatchewan River Valley. These artifacts were once considered trash, discarded by Edmontonians after World War II. Macdonald’s finds include everything from rusty spoons to ceramics and glass. These objects are displayed in two long glass cases, but also integrated into MacDonald’s own projects.

In Threshold of the Theater LabyrinthMacdonald combines plaster tiles, newspapers and bricks to create something new. Sporting uneven edges, this work of art appears intentionally incomplete, as if it was just found rather than created. Various “found” objects, ranging from porcelain fragments to shredded tires, surround the exhibition. The industrial sounds of 1943 give an auditory dimension to the collection.

Shredded tires are also present at Macdonald’s Gorgon II. Here, a hiking backpack rests on a wooden chair covered in a mane of twisted 20th-century tires. The stationary tires are hard and cold and spill over the chair like a slumped, devouring sea creature – or, as the name suggests, the hair of a Gorgon. A complete lack of softness, both in form and color, creates a chilling and tranquil atmosphere.

Contrary to Gorgon IIMcDonald’s Face the Gorgon is surprisingly warm and welcoming. The tarnished mirror features the design of a Gorgon head, along with retro red light bulbs around its intricate edge. This artwork is quite interactive, as you can see your own reflection above the Gorgon. The inviting lights of the mirror feel like a clever trap, inviting you to “face the gorgon” of your own reality, however unpleasant it may be.

Klimp’s works seem more contemporary and critical. Space Distortion is austerely industrial. A pile of scrap metal in the corner, looks almost intact. Klimp tests the distinction between artwork and chaos and highlights a completely raw side of waste. Consumption may be considered a luxury, but these rusty byproducts of consumption seem anything but luxurious. If the packaging stays longer than its contents, what is actually packaged?

Klimp’s Green wash consists of a hamburger wrapper embroidered with threads and painted with acrylic. The threads are in perfect symbiosis with the packaging, which gives the impression that they were there in the beginning. The wrapper is modified but not completely transformed.

Klimp challenges our perceptions of what is real and what is merely suggested. In addition, it forces us to ask ourselves: are we eating the burger, or the wrapper? What is the most accurate representation of its contents?

Quite, This show is trash is a nod to the unpredictable nature of material and cultural heritage. Today’s generations must decide for themselves how to reconcile themselves with the “waste” of yesterday that is resurfacing. There is potential for beauty, as evidenced by Macdonald’s collection of magnificent artifacts. However, there is also the potential for ignorance and deception, as Klimp’s references to the potentially deceptive powers of perception suggest.

You can admire This show is trash at the FAB Gallery until December 14.