Barbarians

Barbarians is a series of five sculptures installed throughout the grounds of the historic Campbell House in downtown Toronto. The contrast between the 19th-century architecture and the 21st-century contemporary art is mediated here by the classicism of both. Valentine’s sculptures are inspired by the mythical creatures of ancient Greece and Rome – Minotaur, Cerberus, Persephone, &c. Similarly, Campbell House, Toronto’s finest example of late Georgian Palladian style, evokes the classical temple architecture of the ancient Mediterranean. The exhibition raises questions about the collapse and rebirth of civilizations; about creative destruction; and whether the new replaces the old, or the old is the hidden engine of the new.