WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE

Related Content

• BREAKING: Has Topless Breakfast Come to an End in Montreal?
  December 29, 2011
• Occupy Valentine's Day: Tomorrow's Bed-In in Washington Square Park
  February 13, 2012
• Barr Brothers
  December 7, 2011
• Hand Cream
  November 9, 2011
• Little Scream
  November 9, 2011

More About

• Sarah Anne Johnson
• Montreal
• Velma Orlikow
• Women's Health
• Prenatal Health, Labor and Delivery

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

The story is almost too terrible to believe. In 1956, Velma Orlikow, the grandmother of Canadian artist Sarah Anne Johnson, entered a mental hospital in Montreal to be treated for postpartum depression. Instead, she suffered torture at the hands of her doctor, who worked for a CIA-funded program exploring new methods for mind control. At the center of Johnson's third solo exhibition, House on Fire, which includes sculptures, paintings, and photography, is a large, elaborate three-story dollhouse that she built by hand. Outside, the house looks normal, but inside, it is full of surreal scenes and dark figurines that evoke her grandmother's nightmare. It's haunting, disturbing, and downright brilliant.
Sept. 23-Nov. 17, 2009