Peter Paul Rubens: Charles Stankievech

Charles Stankievech: This being only the latest in a string of revelations about the breadth of the U.S. spy agencys invasive agenda Edward Snowden may have been the initial leak, but the crack he chipped in the dam has since produced a deluge makes Counterintelligence , an exhaustive survey of the odd intersections between art, aesthetics and militaristic subterfuge timely indeed, according to The Star. If it all has you wondering what this has to do with art, lets consider the source: Namely, Charles Stankievech, a young dynamo of an artist whos positioned himself at the crossroads of art and military intrigue more or less since the outset of his career. If this sounds less like a central hub of artistic inquiry than a distant outpost, fair enough: Stankievech, originally from Calgary and recently relocated to Berlin, spent years on the physical margins of mainstream world in Dawson City, Yukon, honing both his craft and unique world view and The New York Times reported this week that the National Security Agency has figured out a way to glean data from unsuspecting smartphone users plugged in to apps used every day for playful distraction. Be warned, Angry Birds players: You re being watched. At the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery , where the show is mounted in four distinct, chock-full rooms, revelations abound: For instance, did you know that Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish Renaissance master painter, was also a diplomat and a spy? Me neither. Or that a below-the-radar facility in Chicago has been the training ground for at least couple of generations of Israeli soldiers practising for ongoing clashes with Palestinians? (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.