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At the Galleries: Bright landscapes, happy accidents, activisim take centre stage

Galleries make late-winter leap into spring fare
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Flowers and Sunshine acrylic on canvas by Madison Hart at West End Gallery.

West End Gallery kicks off 2023 with the bright and joyful work of Madison Hart.

Colourful and whimsical, Hart’s magical landscapes evoke an innocence of time and place and offer respite from the daily trials of modern life.

Hart began painting professionally after winning the Award of Excellence at the B.C. Festival of the Arts. Since then, her work has been featured in numerous galleries and publications including Biennial Guide to Canadian Art, Magazin’ Art, the cover of BC Wine Country, Arabella and more.

“For me, each painting tells a story, every colour and brush stroke expressing great joy, but what makes a painting truly special are the collectors of my work. Their exuberance never fails to inspire me,” she said.

Visit westendgalleryltd.com for details.

Madrona Gallery jumps into its spring celebration with a late-winter exhibition of collaborative work from the north.

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Nine collaborative works from Kinngait, Nunavut. This project marks the first time artists in that community have worked together to incorporate compositions in both stone carvings and on paper. Artists paired up on compositions where stone informed drawings and vice versa. Some connections between mediums are linked by a family connection such as Shuvinai Ashoona’s drawing and Napachie Ashoona’s carving. Also included is a rare example of Pitseolak Qimirpik’s work, who has done both carvings and drawings for this show. This exhibition gives an example of the innovation of a new generation of artists in the north and why their work is continuing to gain attention at major international events such as the Venice Biennale in 2022 and upcoming Gwangju Biennale. Also included in this exhibition will be works by Qavavau Manumie, Pauojongie Saggiak, Emataaluk Saggiak, Samiayu Akesuk, Cee Pootoogook, Kellypalik Etidloie, Ottokie Samayualie and Mathew Flaherty.

The showcase runs Jan. 21 to Feb. 3. Visit www.madronagallery.com for details.

The Avenue Gallery kicks off the year spotlighting three artists – Pauline Jans, Shinah Lee and Guy Hollington.

Jans moved from Vancouver to the Okanagan Valley to embrace adventure and a simpler life experience. While she began her art practice painting vineyards and landscapes, a longing to express more deeply nudged her artwork from representational to abstract.

Her daily practice of hiking rugged landscapes urged her to explore the emotional influence of craggy places and spaces and to release a background of precision. Her abstracts are process-driven, where exploration and discovery lead the way. Her work is collected worldwide.

Lee demonstrated much aptitude in art at a very young age, knowing art would be a big part of her life.

Originally from South Korea, Lee pursued art in the art program at Dawson College and furthered those with graphic design at the University of Quebec in Montreal in 2002. Following the death of her father, her paintings suddenly took on an emotional dimension. Flowers became an iconography for a representation of her emotional world, a metaphor for the endless carousel between life, love and death.

Lee begins her work on the floor, using the happy accidents of pigments as a backdrop. Then she rotates her canvas on the wall until she is satisfied with its composition and vitality. As a final touch, she adds colours in very fast and instinctive gestures.

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Hollington began his career in glass almost by chance; an offhand comment led to an introductory six-week course that then morphed into a passion for the blown glass medium. Further study at both the Corning Museum of Glass and the Pilchuk School of Glass provided insight into more of the intricacies of glass blowing and further refinement of his technique. He enjoys both the rapid action in the hot-shop during the blowing process as well as the creative and detailed patterning and sandblasting required to create his finished pieces.

Visit theavenuegallery.com.

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria presents Woven In – Indigenous Women’s Activism and Media now through May 7.

Woven In celebrates the intergenerational continuum of grassroots leadership and anticolonial organizing led by women through advocacy, communications, artistry, and community initiatives. It examines the importance of women’s role in enacting change through generations, and the braid of wisdom, courage and strength that continues to be woven today.

Co-curators Gerry Ambers, Marianne Nicolson, and Siku Allooloo come together with different pieces of historic and contemporary activisms, highlighting the pivotal work of women within their communities through the exhibition space. The showcase also includes works by Banchi Hanuse and Tania Willard, including films, print works on Indigenous labour throughout history, and an opportunity to tune into Nuxalk Radio.

This exhibition coincides with a parallel exhibition at Open Space called TIDE LINES: Coastal Resistance of the ’60s and ’70s organized by Gerry Ambers, CHAA’WINISAKS Ogilvie, Tyrone Elliott, Eli Hirtle and Toby Lawrence that runs through Jan. 28.

Visit aggv.ca for more.


 

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Transformation by Ningeosiaq Ashoona at Madrona Gallery Jan. 21 to Feb. 3.
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Premier Baiser by Shinah Lee at The Avenue Gallery in Oak Bay.
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Wonder If by Pauline Jans at The Avenue Gallery.
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Stone with silver vase by Guy Hollington at The Avenue Gallery.