Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art presents the Vancouver premiere of the retrospective exhibition GEORGE CLUTESI: ḥašaḥʔap / ʔaapḥii / ʕc̓ik / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ / ʔiiḥmisʔap from January 20, 2024 – January 19, 2025. The exhibition is an exploration of the life and legacy of Clutesi, whose actions have left an indelible mark on the preservation and celebration of the Nuu-chah-nulth community’s cultural traditions and customs. Featuring an extensive collection of Clutesi’s artworks, the exhibition further honours his legacy through striking displays of archival photographs and news clippings of his varied achievements, a documentary film about his long-lasting impact, and a curated selection of artworks from contemporary Nuu-chah-nulth artists and scholars, inspired by Clutesi’s activism and scholarship. The name of the exhibition, written in the Tseshaht language, honours Clutesi’s many celebrated traits: ḥašaḥʔap (keep, protective) / ʔaapḥii (generous) / ʕac̓ik (talented) / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ (strong willed) / ʔiiḥmisʔap (treasure). A series of ancillary events will support the exhibition, including an opening celebration on Saturday, January 20, 2024, an artist panel discussion, workshops, a curatorial tour, and a book club event. For admission information and a full list of events and registration details, visit: billreidgallery.ca

Feature image: George Clutesi, Mask of Plenty, 1944 – Courtesy of the Royal BC Museum

The Polygon Gallery presents Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia, a survey exhibition of the feminist performance art collective, from March 22–June 2, 2024. Drawing from more than a decade of activism, the show features documentation of Pussy Riot’s actions as assembled by member Maria Alyokhina. Videos, photographs, testimonies, song lyrics, and reflections offer a rich account of Pussy Riot’s provocative, non-violent actions — as well as the reactions of the Russian authorities. Formed in Moscow in 2011, the group has become an iconic symbol of opposition against Vladimir Putin. The touring exhibition raises awareness about the war in Ukraine, and will open in Vancouver as the conflict reaches its second anniversary.

Admission to The Polygon Gallery is by donation, courtesy of BMO Financial Group.

Feature image: From the action ‘Putin peed his pants,’ 2012. Photo: Denis Sinyakov

Sunseok Ahn | Gabi Dao | Pendarvis Harshaw & Brendon Tauszik | Aaron Leon
Anthony Lepore | Diane Meyer | Alp Peker | Gloria Wong | Gonzalo Reyes Rodriguez

On Time considers the ways in which contemporary lens-based artists have challenged the relationship between time and photography and the traditional notion that an image captures a single moment outside the temporal flow. The artists in this exhibition weave the concept of time into their works: playing with its perception, and considering its relationship to memory. These artists examine archives and bring together different points in history in ways that suggest the malleability of time.

Image: c. Gonzalo Reyes Rodriguez

Dimasalang III International Artist Group, comes to the Anvil Center with
“Walking with SYM – Inspiring a New Generation of Artists”

Sofronio Ylanan Mendoza, better known by his initials SYM, was an internationally renowned artist who was also called “maestro” or master for mentoring and nurturing aspiring artists in the Philippines and in Canada. He shared everything he knew with his students to uplift and inspire them. So they could support and inspire each other, he formed them into a group of artists called Dimasalang, named after a street in Manila where his career started in a modest studio.

As an arts teacher, SYM showed a wide spectrum of knowledge to his students – from the basic fundamental principles of drawing and painting to art history and to outside-the-box nuances and approaches to art not generally taught in art schools. In Vancouver, he shared his knowledge and techniques in art with Edgardo Lantin, Rod Pedralba, Noel Trinidad, Simeon Dee, Jess Hipolito, Andy Naval, Arlene George, Leo Cunanan Jr., and Maria Apelo Cruz.

SYM’s philosophy on art was “To express with the whole force of my capacity, vitality and intensity of expressiveness… bold and dynamic technique with profound intention to create and produce a work of art that is strong yet gentle to the human senses. In the end, it’s always my profound intention to create beauty which will stimulate not only our feelings but also widen our imagination.” He passed away in Vancouver on September 21, 2021. He was 87.

This exhibit features works of SYM’s and of his students from the Vancouver based Dimasalang III Artist Group.

Location: Anvil Center, Community Art Gallery
Exhibition Dates: April 1st – May 29th, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday Apr 5, 2024, 6:00-8:00pm
“2nd Sundays” Public Programming:
April 14th and May 12th, from 2:00-4:00pm.
Join exhibiting artists from the Dimasalang III International Artist Group for an interactive drawing workshop focusing on still life and portraiture. Guidance will be offered to those with less drawing experience.

For over a decade, JJ Lee has taken ad hoc portraits of participants preparing to march in New Westminster’s Hyack Day Parade.

“I grabbed what film camera I felt good about at the time and headed out to the marshalling area just around the corner from where I lived. I’d catch folks in full regalia but totally relaxed and waiting. So I asked to take their picture. And unlike when they’re on parade, I asked them to dial it down and just relax in front of the camera. And this is what I got.”
The portraits seem to straddle both the casual and the formal and attempt to delve into identity, photographic vision, ethnography, and the idea of evolving communities. There is attention paid to dress and how performance manifests in social rituals. The individuals portrayed here are both “on” and “off” in a way rarely captured in parades.
The images are all full-crop. The whole photo-emulsive area of each photograph make up each image. No pronounced manipulation or editing has been applied to the portraits.
“In truth, I am uncomfortable putting too fine a point on these images. They have to speak for themselves on some level. But I guess each carry their own surprising meaning however problematic and to find out what that meaning is I feel compelled to take the image.”

Exhibition Dates: April 10 – May 5, 2024
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00am – 2:00pm