Exhibition
Homemade
The Reflective Pause in the Time of Pandemic
Structure enables creativity. Inspired by the social networking of creatives around the world, we formed a small league of artists who meet regularly, via Zoom. As societies around the world quarantine, we artists take a reflective pause. Together in virtual space we share our felt experiences and self-care in the time of COVID-19. We discuss each others’ work-in-progress and venture to collaborate on shared intiatives and projects. This virtual exhibition focuses on what can be accomplished in that reflective pause (é–“Ma). What ways are we caring for our inner space, home, and wonder and/or those of others around us? What revives you? What are being revived? What do you wish to revive?
Now On View
Living Possibilities
An opportunity to explore an alternatives future. Our relationship to the land needs to be retreated and reflected upon creating an intentional community, respect for all life forms. To attain a global equity, we can use storey telling and allegory as tools to dscribe our cosmos, bioshphere. Our internal search within an external social culture represents new values. This journey, discipline, practice creates a rise in awareness of our collective benefitsand actions. The vision we cretae holds and keeps a respect for all beings.
Synnkune Loh
Susan Coleman
Hamideh Abol
Artist Bio:
I was born in Tehran, Iran to a family of engineers, I attended university of Tehran to study engineering while actively painting and showing my art at small gatherings and events. I immigrated to Vancouver, Canada in 2006 with a scholarship to study my master’s degree. While studying for my master’s degree in a technical field, I continued my journey in Art. I completed a certificate in Fine Art and attended a textile workshop in Italy, which was the beginning of my journey in textile art. Consequently, I started creating three-dimensional textile art pieces that were borrowed by stylists and had a big following in the textile industry. My love for art and fashion took me to Italy and France in 2013. I studied pattern making and did freelance work for fashion houses such as Givenchy, Yiqin Yinq and Christine Phung beside my consulting job as an engineer. While living in Paris, I started focusing on life drawing and making collages. After receiving encouragement from friends in the art and fashion industry, I focused on creating comprehensive collections. I returned to vancouver, Canada in 2017 and have been continuously creating collages in mixed-media ever since.
Artist statement:
Growing up in Middle East and immigrating to Canada, I experienced anxiety and constantly searched for my identity as a new immigrant. In the new series, I show the contrast between my colourful Persian roots and the ongoing crisis that concerns me with my home country of Iran. The collages show the two sides of my Iranian root, one is a happy place that celebrates life and has a rich history of festivities and beauty,
The second one is a country where social and economical crisis is growing their root in people’s lives have caused a great sense of depression, and has created an anxiety for war and tension.
First Image: Iranian Roots- 40”x32” Mixed Media-Acrylic and paper- The symbol of Iranian Carpets, grown apart by wild weeds- showing separation and anxiety of my people
Second Image: Persian carpet, woven between 1980-1988”size 40”x29” this work shows the contrast between the beautiful iranian tapestry and the tragic war events in history of Iran. Specifically that of Iran-Iraq war in the 80s. During 8 years, a million people died, many came out with life-long injuries due to chemical gases, amputations and mental health. Many lost their dear ones, mothers cried the loss of their children. Child soldier heroes were introduced to our culture. Nevertheless, Iranians are always known for their beautiful rugs
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Third image: Envy my persian Glamour-40”x20”- Mixed Media Acrylic, Fabric and paper- reflects conflict between the iranian beauty and the pain and suffering of Iranian people
Keiko Honda
Artist statement:
Silent Observations
Silent observations is an account of misgivings, terror, muteness, and resilience, studied from the artist’s home. Emotions from these trying times are collected through mixed-medias: film installation, sound, painting, and sculptures. The audio narrative ‘Hunters and Hunted’ is a rendition of a true story in Alberta that was reported April of 2020, contemplating the spontaneity of unexplained brutality. The artist’s observations seek to awaken empathy and the appeasement between normalcy and aberration, beckoning the convalescence of the body and the soul.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have been exploring local Coast Salish forests (Burnaby, BC) with my kid who is 5, by foot, by trail running, hiking, biking and trailer biking. We leave our house directly and proceed to forests by foot or bike. Being outside like this brings me into connection and lifts my spirits. We also tend the wild spaces we visit.
I have been surprised to find many many giant stumps, mostly along the north sides of steep forested slopes. They are ancient cedar bones. The trees were very large. Many of them still show the cut where a board was inserted to lift the men higher while cutting so they would not have to cut through the giants’ low wide girth. Have you ever thought of our urban areas as giant clearcuts?
When settlers came to this land, this place, this stolo river valley, Tsleil-Waututh and Kwikwetlem places, Coast Salish as we now call it about 2 out of every 3 humans living here died of smallpox, most of them before actual contact with europeans in this area; disease traveled swiftly up from the south. So 2 of 3 people died, crushing families and their fabric of survival.
I have been reflecting on death of a people, and death of giant trees. What world view allows a body to cut down a tree giant and believe it is the right thing to do, to destroy the forest like this? What world view endorses enslavement? of human to human, or cedar to men? Where have I come from, and how did we believe this was good?
I wonder what kind of new species of human could arise and ‘conquer’… a human community that was reciprocal and care-focused, that did not seek profit by the extraction and destruction of all other life forms.
I WISH that all who seek to work for care of humans and care of other life and care of life-supporting elements should be able to do so by the guarantee of a living wage, so that we may do this work our hearts yearn for, and learn now how to thrive together.
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-photos using my cell phone camera-
by Sara Ross, April & May 2020-
