Suburb Beautiful

“Andreas Rutkauskas's practice rises out of the differing attitudes toward the urban environment in cities across Canada. The desire to live in a metropolis is weighed against economic and social reasoning, resulting in a boom in suburban development. This work underscores both the dystopia and desire that such housing tracts represent and calls into question issues of urban decay, socio-cultural change and environmental legacies.”

- Lynn Beavis, Former Curator, FOFA Gallery, Concordia University

This body of work is the product of my graduate studies program at Concordia (2003-2007). This series laid the groundwork for future investigations into sustainable development and climate resiliency, which remain at the core of my artistic practice today. A Suburb Beautiful is the slogan greeting visitors to the neighbourhood of Charleswood in the SouthWest part of the City of Winnipeg, where my parents continue to live today.