Opening Reception for Lee Henderson: A Mortician Walks Into a Bar
Opening Reception
At Struts Gallery
Artist in attendance
Struts Gallery and the Owens Art Gallery are pleased to present A Mortician Walks Into a Bar, a new video installation by Lee Henderson commissioned as part of Umbrella Projects series. Reciting On the Shortness of Life—Seneca’s classical treatise on death—a comic maintains the performative techniques, rhythms, and mannerisms of stand-up comedy. Caught between the Stoic duty to remain true to the text and the Epicurean impulse to follow the pleasure of the riff, the comic tries to sustain her performative energy in an empty room. As she relays Seneca’s philosophy of life, she “dies” onstage with each unanswered quip.
This project is a part of the Umbrella Projects series, a partnership between the Owens and Struts Gallery, designed to pool resources, energies, and respective strengths in order to facilitate off-site, in-print, online, and onscreen programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Venue Access
Struts Gallery’s main door on Lorne Street is located on the first floor, with a ramp leading to the entrance with a small lip. There is one gender neutral washroom on the first floor. Guide dogs and other service animals are welcome. Please note: There are no washrooms in the building that are wheelchair accessible, have safety grab bars or supports at this time. The nearest accessible washroom is at The Painted Pony about 500m away on Bridge Street. Our second floor is not wheelchair accessible.