By Harriet Goodwin
Whistler Contemporary Gallery, established in 1992, showcases emerging and mid-career artists who rub shoulders with renowned figures like Jeff Koons and Paul Rousso. Boasting diverse styles in a range of media, the gallery, located in the Hilton Resort, attracts over two million visitors annually. Here are some top picks from their collection:
1. Forest Canopy, Pacific Spirit Park II by Bill Claps
Bill Claps, a visual artist, photographer, and filmmaker based in New York City, pays homage to Asian landscape painting in his series Natural Abstractions. Using a unique mixed-media process, he combines photography of British Columbia with painting and metallic foils, showcasing the majesty of forest treescapes.
2. The Sweet Life Lollipop – Orange by Elena Bulatova
Elena Bulatova is a Russian artist who is now based in Palm Springs. Renowned for her abstract paintings, she manages multiple galleries globally. This bright, oversized lollipop sculpture, made from resin & acrylic, is one of many in a series of her lollipops that evoke nostalgic, childhood pleasures, and allow us to celebrate the fun things in life.
3. SKI SQ Y (4/5), 2023 by Max Steven Grossman
Max Steven Grossman was born in Colombia and transitioned from a career in engineering to photography. This metallic print is part of a series called Bookscapes. From photos of different bookshelves, he reorganizes the content into a new digital composition of a thematic display including Film, Rock and Roll, Fashion, Architecture, Art, etc and in this case, aptly for Whistler, skiing!
4. Paradise by Nemo Jantzen
Nemo Jantzen, a Dutch artist based in Barcelona and New York, explores health, wealth, travel, art, commodities, and brands in this mixed-media piece. ‘Paradise’ combines miniature hemispheric photos dipped in resin, that provide intrigue at the micro level as you explore each composition, that then merge into a face as you observe the piece from a distance.
5. You Raise Me Up by Jeremy Houghton
UK artist Jeremy Houghton is new to the gallery. His work specializes in painting significant journeys, like the flight of a bird and he focuses on light, negative space, and time passages. This oil painting has built up layers of background and the negative neon pink space suggests the birds in flight.
The gallery is located at #110 – 4293 Mountain Square, Whistler (inside the hotel.)
You can also have so much fun window shopping their online directory of artists and artworks.