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by Marja-Leena

Abakanowicz’ Vancouver Ancestors

AbakanowiczVanAncestors.jpg

As I mentioned before, last week we ventured out to Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver especially to see the Magdalena Abakanowicz’ sculpture installation. I was excited to be seeing her work live for the first time.

Created for the current Vancouver International Sculpture Biennial, the Vancouver Ancestors consists of 16 three metre tall armless and headless figures, installed on the south side of the park. They look powerful caught in stride with their immense feet, bodies wrapped in folded, twisted and roped cloths of metal. They look ancient because of the rusty surface but they are actually bronze, probably with an iron oxide coating. The backs are concave or hollow I suppose to save on weight.

We were quite excited by these figures, looking and photographing them from all angles and curious about the title too. Is it a reference to the ancient peoples of the area? Somewhere I once read that the natives believe that headless figures are spirits from another world (or something like that). I like to think they are spirits of the people who used to live here long ago. Abakanowicz has worked with headless figures for a long time, so there are other references such as to victims of wars.

When I first saw Abakanowicz’ work in a book years ago, I fell in love with her fibre sculpure, wrapped figures. Since then she has moved to bronze, which of course is durable for the numerous outdoor installations she has been commissioned to do around the world. I was excited to see that she had captured these textures in the moldmaking process and revealed these on the bronze giants.

AbanakanowiczVanAncestors2.jpg

A note to visitors: I suggest parking on the south side of the park, then walk up the hill. We lucked out in doing this and it was exciting to suddenly spot the installation in the distance. It made for a good approach coming up to it in this way, closer and closer.

Since I last posted about Abakanowicz and the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale, the biennale site has been much improved and there are excellent photos of the Vancouver Ancestors and of course, works by the other artists that I still have to go and see.

detaillVanAncestors.jpg

June 29, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena | Tags:
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by Marja-Leena

art, trees & birds

Qeparktree

One lovely day last week, after an appointment in the vicinity, I went to see a couple of art exhibitions on Granville Island that I’ve mentioned here earlier. The first one was the exhibition of fibre art by Kaija Rautianen & Hanna Haapasalo at Crafthouse Gallery. Their computer-aided tapestry technique is fascinating and the works are beautiful. You can still see them until July 2nd.

Vancouver’s own BIMPE IV, an international mini-print biennial exhibition, was most interesting to me personally as a printmaker. (No, I’m not in it as I rarely work this small.) The numerous works (100?) were all very intriguing in many different techniques and kept me occupied looking at them all for quite a while. I recognized some friends and some names and there were works from around the globe. Have a look at the updated BIMPE website for images of the works by the prize winners. (This will be up for until end of July but moving to another location so check the links for info.)

Then husband, taking the afternoon off work, joined me and we had a little picnic lunch on a bench overlooking the boats in False Creek. Lovely! Afterwards we headed over to Queen Elizabeth Park to see the Abakanowicz sculptures (watch for another post dedicated to that!) and to have a walk around the lovely gardens built around a former quarry.

Qepine&Palms

For the first time in all the years we’ve lived here, we went into the Bloedel Conservatory, which amazed us how huge it is. What a wonderful atmosphere in there, full of tall tropical trees reaching to the top of the dome, trees such as figs, palms, and a lovely African Fern Pine with its very soft needles (left of the palm in the photo above) plus gorgeous flowers, and many colourful tropical birds. One beautiful blue and yellow macaw(?) displayed a big temper – he did not like my husband making some bird whistle and so he squawked so loudly that it echoed throughout and set off a multitude of other birds. Only when his human caretaker came to take him onto her shoulder did he calm down. Oops!

Qebirds

Seeing all the huge old trees in the park and the tropical ones inside the conservatory inspired us to take some photos of them and share them with Dave Bonta’s Festival of the Trees.

June 27, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Being an Artist, Other artists by Marja-Leena 4 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

BIMPE IV

BimpeIV.jpg
Image on invitation: David Curcio, “Minara”, drypoint and monotype

Vancouver’s very own international print biennial, BIMPE is a miniature print competition held every 2 years, and hosted by New Leaf Editions and Dundarave Print Workshop, both on Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada. The intent of BIMPE is to facilitate international artistic exchange and to increase public awareness and appreciation for printmaking.

This year is the fourth biennial, BIMPE IV. The Opening Reception is at 6 pm, Friday, June 9th, 2006 at Federation Gallery, 1241 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver. BBQ to follow at New Leaf Editions, 1370 Cartwright Street.

BIMPE IV will be shown from 6th – 25th June at Federation Gallery and from 3rd – 30th July at Dundarave Print Workshop, 1640 Johnston Street, Granville Island.

June 6, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Printmaking by Marja-Leena | Tags:
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by Marja-Leena

Cornelia Oberlander

7 271 Gerdesphot22

“PICTURING LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE”
Projects of Cornelia Hahn Oberlander as seen by Etta Gerdes
Elliott Louis Gallery
West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver
June 6 – June 25, 2006 – Preview: June 6th & 7th
Opening Reception: Thurs. June 8, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Touring Canada and Germany and presented by the Goethe-Institut Montreal, is an exhibit of photographs by Etta Gerdes detailing the work of acclaimed landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander.

Oberlander was born in Germany and lives in Vancouver. I recall reading articles about this fascinating woman and her groundbreaking work, particularly her visions of roof gardens on city highrises. Have a look at examples of her work on the gallery pages. Read more about her in Art Daily and about her work in the archives at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. (The same exhibition is being presented there until July 30th, with additional material from their archives.)

Above – Etta Gerdes photo: Lunch break, Robson Square, Vancouver

June 4, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists, Photography by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Cornelia Oberlander

by Marja-Leena

art in fibre

KaijaHanna.jpg
Left: Kaija Rautianen, “Birch Landscape”
Right: Hanna Haapasalo, “Great Blue Heron”
Both handwoven Jacquard tapestry, photo credit Ken Mayer Studios

An exhibition by two Vancouver-based Finnish fiber artists is opening tomorrow:

Between the Hand and the Loom – Works by Kaija Rautianen & Hanna Haapasalo
Exhibit: June 1- July 2, 2006
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 1, 2006, 6-8pm
Crafthouse Gallery, 1386 Cartwright St., Granville Island, Vancouver, BC
Artist’s Talk: Thursday, June 15, 2006, 7-8pm,
Carousel Theatre, 1411 Cartwright St., Granville Island, Vancouver
Free Admission. Please register at 604-687-6511

For this exhibition Kaija and Hanna are going to create textiles woven on a computer assisted Jacquard loom. The purpose is to explore and share with the public the possibilities of new technology in hand weaving and to give exposure to cutting edge works in fibre. The pieces will be mostly wall and window hangings with both abstract and realistic imagery drawn from nature.

In Jacquard weaving the image and the structure are locked together and the relationship of the two affects the overall content. The understanding of the structure, materials and the scale is crucial before a visual idea can become art in fibre.

View some examples of Kaija’s work here and here. Kaija is a friend and I’ve seen her wonderful weavings in the past. I highly recommend seeing this exhibition. Unfortunately I won’t make it to the opening to greet Kaija and meet Hanna. Best wishes, Kaija and Hanna!

May 31, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena 6 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Jungen at Tate Modern

Some readers may recall an article I wrote about Brian Jungen’s exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery earlier this year.

The artist received a great deal of media attention including a mention that he was going to have his work showing at the Tate Modern. Art Daily has a report on that.

Now, thanks to Zeke’s Gallery for pointing to a fascinating interview of Jungen, that to me reveals much more about Brian Jungen’s thoughts and process than anything else I’ve read. Jessica Morgan, the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Tate Modern conducts the interview.

UPDATE: JUNE 11th – Today, reading posts by several bloggers including qB, leslee and Dave who recently got together in Montreal, I also learned that Jungen has an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal as well!! How come Zeke did not mention it?

May 30, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Abakanowicz here!

Magdelenainstallation

This is exciting news, though a bit late – Magdalena Abakanowicz was here in Vancouver last week!

On May 25th one of the preeminent sculptors of our time, Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz will unveil the installation of Vancouver Ancestors, her latest work consisting of twenty iron cast, 9 foot tall headless figures. Created specifically for the 2005/2006 Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale, Vancouver Ancestors (shown above) will be the 21st of 23 sculpture installations for the eighteen-month event.

I wish I’d known earlier and I would have been at the unveiling. However her work will be up for almost a year in beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park, and I’m greatly anticipating seeing Abakanowicz’ work in real life for the first time! As regular readers know, she is one of my favourite artists, whom I wrote about only just recently.

The inaugural Vancouver Sculpture Biennale: 2005/2006 will highlight Vancouver’s public spaces with an 18-month installation of major public art sculptures scheduled to begin in June when international works of art from around the world will be installed throughout Vancouver’s public spaces.

Check out the map and the list of participating artists from around the world along with images of their works. Included along with Abakanowicz, are such well-known artists as Yoko Ono, Dennis Oppenheim, and the late Bill Reid. The Biennale continues until April 2007, and is accessible 24/7, 365 days per year and is free for all to enjoy. Did I say I am excited? More to come later…

May 29, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena | Tags:
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by Marja-Leena

Art Daily returns

As Sam plays ‘As Time Goes By’ once again, Ignacio Villarreal announces the return of Art Daily, like the phoenix arising! He writes movingly of overcoming health and financial problems and bringing back his 10 year old pet project and passion.

I enjoyed reading the world’s art news on Art Daily and frequently linked to their articles, as I wrote when they first closed in June, 2004 and again on its return a few months later. It really sounded like the final death notice last December, so now let’s happily say ‘welcome back’ to Ignacio and Art Daily and ‘may you both live long’!

The current art feature, Rembrandt and Caravaggio at the Van Gogh Museum is interesting – click on the big image and compare the works of the two masters. Now I wish I could fly to Amsterdam!

(Thanks to Art News Blog for the good news.)

May 8, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Blogging by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Art Daily returns

by Marja-Leena

Brian Jungen

BrianJungen10-Prot16.jpg
Prototype for New Understanding #16, 2004
Nike athletic footwear, human hair
Collection of Joel Wachs, New York
Photo: Trevor Mills, Vancouver Art Gallery
(taken from Brian Jungen Gallery)

I’m very late getting this written – it was 11 days ago that we went to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the exhibitions and I promised to write about them later. I’ve written about the Takao Tanabe retrospective, now it’s time for Brian Jungen’s, whose show is still up until the end of this month. It’s an absolute must-see if you are in the Vancouver area!

As it will be gone soon, I’ve captured this statement from the Vancouver Art Gallery site:

THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY of work by Brian Jungen opens at the Vancouver Art Gallery January 28 and will remain on display until April 30, 2006.

Organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and comprised of more than 40 works ranging from early drawings and sculptures to large-scale installations, Brian Jungen brings together the artist’s major series and key singular works for the first time. Following critical acclaim at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the exhibition is significantly expanded for its return home with the addition of artworks including several pieces currently in production, being created specially for the Vancouver presentation.

Born in Fort St. John, BC, Jungen moved to Vancouver as a young adult, graduating from the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 1992. In 2002, he was awarded the inaugural $50,000 Sobey Art Award, the most lucrative Canadian award for emerging artists, in recognition of outstanding achievement. Today, Jungen is a key figure in Vancouver’s art community and has gained an international reputation as one of Canada’s most promising contemporary artists with an upcoming exhibition at the Tate Modern.

Through the transformation of consumer goods and common materials into symbolic sculptures and installations, Jungen examines cultural norms and social issues. The artist is perhaps best known for his Prototype for New Understanding series (1998-2005), 23 startling simulations of Northwest Coast Aboriginal masks fabricated from disassembled athletic shoes. Through this ingenious manipulation, the artist collides two seemingly different commodities-globally branded footwear and revered First Nation’s artwork.

Also widely celebrated are Jungen’s three enormous and incredibly lifelike whale skeleton sculptures-Shapeshifter (2000), Cetology (2002) and Vienna (2003). Made from common plastic lawn chairs, his “whales” oscillate between objects of natural history and critiques of commodity culture, simultaneously understood as both natural forms and recognizable household objects. Cetology, the largest of the three measuring 49 feet in length, is in the Gallery’s permanent collection.

One of the first public institutions to collect works by Jungen, the Vancouver Art Gallery has drawn from its own collection for the exhibition, as well as from the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Art (Ottawa) and other Canadian museums, as well as numerous private collections.

I first became aware of Brian Jungen when I saw his work almost two years ago in the group show Baja to Vancouver, also at the VAG. I clearly remembered those pieces, a couple of his masks made from black and white Nikes. I am always impressed when First Nations artists can take their traditional motifs and rework these in a contemporary fashion, in both medium and message, and Jungen did this very dramatically.

Last week, walking into the room displaying the whole Prototype for New Understanding series of masks, I was immediately struck by the fact that they were displayed in glass cases, just as if they were in an anthropology museum! And it was fascinating to watch the excited reactions of the other visitors, many of them families with preteens. I think most people recognized ‘the multiple references to animal and supernatural figures of North West Coast ceremonial masks and pop cultural icons”. Originally used in dances and ceremonies, they later became “collectibles and artifacts”. Jungen has made a deliberate gesture against the “rigid terms of ownership, purity and authenticity”, making it about “transformation of the mythical into the mundane”. (..from my loosely and not too accurately scribbled notes taken off the gallery wall).

View several images of Jungen’s works at Brian Jungen Gallery.

Brian Jungen and his success inspired several articles in our local papers, such as in The Tyee, by Danielle Egan, in the Straight by Alexander Varty, and in the Vancouver Sun by Amy O’Brian. And, the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City still has their page on Jungen’s recent exhibition there.

April 22, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena 6 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Takao Tanabe

TanabeMalacca.jpg
Takao Tanabe – Malacca Strait: Dawn – Etching & Woodcut (not in this exhibition)

Takao Tanabe was born in 1926 in Prince Rupert, British Columbia of Japanese parents. He studied at the Winnipeg School of Art (which later became part of the University of Manitoba, my alma mater) and in New York. He travelled and painted in Europe then lived in many places. As director of The Banff Centre art program he revitalized the institution, establishing it as one of the most important art centres in North America. At 80, he’s still very active and producing his immense paintings of the West Coast of BC out of his studio at Parksville on Vancouver Island.

Takao Tanabe’s first exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery is a retrospective of his 55 year career. A recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, two honorary doctorates and the Governor General’s Award in the Visual Media Arts, Tanabe is widely recognized as an artist of significant achievement. Early works spanned from abstract expressionism, hard-edge abstraction, to stylized aerial views of farmlands in the US, then washes of simplified Canadian prairie landscapes. Eventually he made realistic depictions of the drylands of interior BC, the Arctic and the West Coast, as well as other parts of the world.

The travelling exhibition ends on April 17th here in Vancouver, having first been at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. It moves on to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, in Kleinburg, Ontario. A major publication is available.

We enjoyed the exhibition very much. Most of Tanabe’s paintings are very large. One was huge – sorry, I forgot the name – it must have been about 12 feet wide, a predominately dark blue West Coast scene that was hung by itself on a very dark blue wall. Very dramatic, and done only a few years ago! Interestingly, his works do not show the presence of humans or their habitat. Though I’m personally not a great fan of landscape paintings, these did impress me with their power and spirit.

Being fond of prints, I had hoped to see Malacca Strait: Dawn (shown above), which I’m familiar with because one hangs on the wall of the printmaking studio at Capilano College! It was printed there for Tanabe by Peter Braune of New Leaf Editions, with the assistance of Jude Griebel, because the New Leaf press was too small! It was fascinating to watch the work in progress, a huge project with two copper plates, both with hand drawn and photo-based etching, and 2 woodblocks. From time to time, Takao Tanabe came in to observe and approve. As is the practise in all printmaking studios, the shop gets one copy, and that is how I was able to take a photograph to share with you here. Check out the project photos taken by Peter Braune!

More about Takao Tanabe:
a short biography
Art in Motion by Robin Laurence in the Straight
article by Amy O’Brian in the Vancouver Sun
AbsoluteArts exhibition report

IMAGES of Takao Tanabe’s work at:
Mira Godard Gallery
Equinox Gallery
Kelowna Art Gallery
National Gallery of Canada

April 13, 2006 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

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