{"id":19985,"date":"2023-09-12T16:27:43","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T20:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/?p=19985"},"modified":"2023-09-14T11:31:13","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T15:31:13","slug":"iconoclash-martina-sorbara-strikes-a-new-chord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2023\/09\/12\/iconoclash-martina-sorbara-strikes-a-new-chord\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconoclash: Martina Sorbara Strikes a New Chord"},"content":{"rendered":"

Multihyphenate. Hybrid. Interdisciplinary. Intersectional. As cerebral descriptors, these capture and convey the current cultural shift \u2014 an era that compels many to do more and be more with less. Martina Sorbara is one of those people.<\/p>\n

Known as Dragonette \u2014 which is both her stage name and the name of the chart-topping, Juno-nominated pop band for which she is this frontwoman \u2014 the Italian-Canadian singer, songwriter and visual artist has spent over a decade blazing a trail for electronic musicians. However, she considers the last three years to be the catalyst for her new creative heights. \u201cI\u2019m in full-on redefinition mode,\u201d she explains from her home in Toronto\u2019s west end, where she lives with her partner, celebrated chef Cory Vitiello and their five-year-old son. Her home is teeming with art, from The Broadbent Sisters, Louise Despont and Christopher Page to pieces by her nephew and her architect sister, Ginger. Sorbara\u2019s music and art studios provide a lush view of the black oaks, red maples and white pines surrounding the home.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

Inside, a dozen or so in-progress sketches and paintings are strewn across her worktable, intermingling with her preschooler\u2019s classroom drawings. \u201cI\u2019ve always made art,\u201d she says, recalling how one of her former music managers told her to never talk about her paintings, sculptures, photographs or drawings, fearing it would confuse her \u201cbrand\u201d \u2014 a term Sorbara sneers at.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took years for me to share this side of myself, but eventually, I started standing up for what I was doing visually,\u201d she says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until this year that I finally felt like I could openly talk about my artwork,\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

Her first statement, by way of a stunning debut art exhibition at the MCA Gallery this past spring\/summer proved that her visual self-expression is more than just a hobby, side hustle, or career footnote. The show, titled Portraits<\/em>, featured a series of augmented photographs \u2014 old MGM headshots from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that Sorbara had obsessively hunted down and collected. To reframe the narrative of the silver screen snaps. Sorbara carefully spliced geometric shapes over their faces. Assuming the role of casting agent and film director, she poured through hundreds of famous and not-so-famous actors and actresses, experimenting with their images before making her final cuts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to find specific moments from these would-be matin\u00e9e idols, [who thought]they were going to take the world by storm,\u201d Sorbara says, explaining her photo-selection criteria. \u201cI wanted to let the viewer in on how these photos represent such an important part of an actor or actress\u2019s work life. Getting an 8-by-10 picture done was like an avenue to stardom,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

Layers of commentary seep into each of Sorbara\u2019s pieces, as she examines the recipe of celebrity through a sociological lens.\u201cThis series isn\u2019t about capturing fabulousness,\u201d Sorbara asserts.\u201cBy splicing the faces in the way that I did, I wanted to look at how true stardom is really about being the everyman. It\u2019s not about standing out or being different or radical or super anomalous. People like Matt Damon and Tom Cruise prove that superstardom is about being relatable. I was also trying to find expressions that spoke to me while I was changing the shapes. In a way, I\u2019m trying to tap into pareidolia \u2014the human perception that imposes interpretations of what is not on an image. In other words, you have to find meaning in the white space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dragonette\u2019s iconography and videos foreshadow Sorbara\u2019s foray into the art world. In many ways, her pop music imagery already incorporated elements of performance art (as seen in videos for tracks such as \u201cFixin\u2019 to Thrill,\u201d \u201cTwennies\u201d and \u201cT-Shirt\u201d), photo collage (in album covers like 2007\u2019s Galore<\/em>, 2012\u2019s Body Parts<\/em> and 2016\u2019s Royal Blues<\/em>) and illustration (through Dragonette\u2019s tour merchandise). Sorbara\u2019s forward-thinking, gender-blending vision for Dragonette\u2014 fuelled by rock, country, pop, house, disco and hi-NRG \u2014 predated much of the new-wave feminist imagery emerging in today\u2019s pop culture. Instead of playing it safe, Sorbara, who once described Dragonette\u2019s second album as a \u201ctomboy in high heels\u201d pushed the envelope with the band\u2019s sound and image by distorting gender norms, dismissing fashion trends and ignoring sexist standards permeating the music industry.<\/p>\n

Sorbara\u2019s next series of paintings and sketches \u2014 which she hopes to exhibit sometime this winter \u2014 share a similar meticulous approach to the methods she uses in pop music, and she sees music and art-making as modes of expression stemming from two different universes. In fact, her pop legacy \u2014 despite its profound influence\u2014 is something Sorbara herself hasn\u2019t yet fully processed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t internalize any of it,\u201d she admits.\u201cI mean, I have hundreds of recorded songs in the vault that I haven\u2019t released and I still think, Is any of this any good?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

While her modesty may, at times, overshadow her own greatness, Sorbara possesses the receipts to claim her iconhood if she wishes. She has shared the stage with New Order, Scissor Sisters and Duran Duran, counts Bj\u00f6rk as a fan, written songs for Kylie Minogue and Cyndi Lauper (who called her \u201cthe future of pop\u201d), and collaborated with The Knocks and Martin Solveig, as well as Jean-Paul Gaultier and the late Alexander McQueen.<\/p>\n

Although she has learned from and worked with the best, Sorbara\u2019s determination to create and share her artwork was partially inspired by a figure who successfully crossed over from art to pop\u2014and back again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got over my internal struggle about committing to visual art in such a strong way,\u201d Sorbara reveals.\u201c[I]used to feel so self-conscious about having the audacity to respect this side of me so outwardly. Then I watched this video of [interdisciplinary artist] Laurie Anderson, and she was talking about how many people try to make you stay in one lane because it\u2019s easier for them to market and understand you. When she called out people, whittling you down for their own purposes, I decided to let my artwork be part of my story. [I will] not be whittled down because I don\u2019t intend to stop and I doubt she will either.<\/p>\n

\n

By Elio Iannacci  \u2014<\/em> *This article originally appeared in Insight: The Art Of Living Magazine \u2013 The Roots Issue<\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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