A commercial property is listed for sale in the suburbs and it is enveloped in a bidding war between two parties. The bidders are a car salesman mogul named Alvin Luong, and a blue chip commercial art gallerist named Ivana Dizdar. The video follows the riviarily between Luong and Dizdar for the property as well as their personal ambitions. The video also features the individuals’ assistants, Luong’s secretary and Dizdar’s unpaid intern, who have their own stakes, plans, and motivations within the bidding war. As the video progresses we discover that the city’s core has fallen into political turmoil, causing hysteria among the dominant class to escape to the suburbs.
Bidding War is a site-specific project for Y+ Contemporary in Toronto’s suburbs. Made in collaboration with Ivana Dizdar.
Screening rights of the full version of Bidding War for institutions can be acquired here, otherwise please contact the artists for full viewing.
An unbreakable blade with ice-ripping teeth (2017)
Appearances by:
Aaron Densmore, Daniel Faria, Laurie Kang, Micah Lexier, Michael John Mayers, Clint Roenisch, Spenser Stewart, Gaëtane Verna, Madeleine White.
Production support from:
ArtReach Toronto, Gallery TPW, Graywood Developments, The Images Festival, KABIN, The Ontario Arts Council, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, The Toronto Arts Council, and Y+ Contemporary.
Starring:
Alvin Luong as Alvin Luong
Ivana Dizdar as Ivana Dizdar
Alvin Luong as Van
Ivana Dizdar as Allie
Alvin Luong & Ivana Dizdar as Authentic Innovations Capital inc.
Generous assistance from:
Rui Amaral, Faraz Anoushapour, Jan Braun, Chris Curreri, Jason Ebanks, Natalie Eckler, Michelle Forsyth, Amy Fung, Daniel Griffin Hunt, Aryen Hoekstra, Luis Jacob, Dorica Manuel, Katherine Rawlinson, Erica Russell, Ed Pien and Johannes Zits, Tiffany Schofield, and Nicholas Yim.
Bidding War received the OCAD University Off Screen Award, honouring the strongest new Canadian or international installation or new media work in the Images Festival, “for its thoughtful integration of time-based media into a comprehensive installation and its simultaneously playful and critical approach to site-specificity, addressing poignant issues within urban/suburban cityscapes with humour.”
