Art GAlleries
BY Jill Von Sprecken
extraordinary art
The city’s thriving art scene
is…well, pretty special.
Which is why the Vancouver
Art Gallery’s Vancouver
Special: Ambivalent Pleasures (to Apr. 17; page 29)
champions local art in a
stunning showcase of 40
artists. For the first instalment of the triennial exhibit,
curators visited over 90
studios to find emerging and
established contemporary
artists such as Tamara
Henderson (“The Scarecrow’s Holiday,” pictured).
Some pull strings, others paint them. Contemporary
artist Pat O’Hara uses energetic brushstrokes to apply
strings of paint on canvas, finishing the super-saturated
works with a glossy resin finish. The BC native, who
now lives in Vancouver, often draws from her own
environment and experiences to create her varied,
layered pieces. She favours a bold, playful palette,
using shades that evoke nature, from sunrise to seaside
(“Aquatic #2,” pictured). See the artist’s abstract acrylicon-canvas pieces in Linearity at Bau-Xi Gallery (Jan. 7
to 18; page 31).
Fired Up
Don’t miss Judy Chartrand:
What a Wonderful World at Bill
Reid Gallery (to Feb. 19; page
29). The artist’s ceramic works
straddle the line between art and
activism, in beautiful, politically
charged pottery that gives a
glimpse into life on the Downtown Eastside. See Chartrand
use humour to tackle issues such
as racism in pieces like “Mimbres Culture Bowls” (pictured).
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where.ca
Ja n ua ry- F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 7
Photos: (Middle) By RoBeRt WedeMeyeR CouRtesy China aRt oBjeCts. (BottoM) By Kenji nagai
Fine Lines