Author

Alexis Baran

Exhibitions Local Artists On Now Visual Art Whistler
Float or Paddle Up to Art on the Lake 2022 in Whistler

by Alexis Baran August 3, 2022

August 3, 2022

The West Coast’s most serene art show returns to Whistler on August 11 and 12. Putting the “picture” into picturesque, Art on the Lake…

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Artist Interviews Langley Local Artists Visual Art
Video: Meet Elaine Brewer-White, an Artist in Fort Langley

by Alexis Baran June 15, 2022

June 15, 2022

Elaine Brewer-White works in ceramics, a medium with an ancient history of capturing culture and the human story. Yet in her studio in Fort…

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Artist Interviews Burnaby Indigenous Art Langley Local Artists New Westminster Surrey Visual Art
Video: Meet Brandon Gabriel, a Kwantlen Nation Artist

by Alexis Baran June 15, 2022

June 15, 2022

Brandon Gabriel is an artist from the Kwantlen Nation that is carrying on the Coast Salish tradition of storytelling through his art. His collaborative…

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Artist Interviews Local Artists Vancouver Visual Art
Video: Meet Tiko Kerr, Artist and Activist in Vancouver

by Alexis Baran June 15, 2022

June 15, 2022

Tiko Kerr is an artist and activist in Vancouver, BC. Here he shares his insights on the artistic journey and his work. Tiko Kerr…

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Artist Interviews Local Artists New Westminster Visual Art
Video: Meet Fiona Tang, an Artist in New Westminster

by Alexis Baran June 13, 2022

June 13, 2022

New Westminster’s Fiona Tang gets down in the dirt and mess of charcoal to capture the ethereal energy and chaos of nature. Her often…

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Artist Interviews Local Artists Vancouver's North Shore Visual Art
Video: Meet Susanna Blunt, an Artist on Vancouver’s North Shore

by Alexis Baran June 13, 2022

June 13, 2022

North Vancouver’s Susanna Blunt is a visual poet that leads with feelings over intellect when it comes to creating and appreciating art. Her sculpture…

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Artist Interviews Local Artists Visual Art Whistler
Video: Meet Andrea Mueller, a Painter in Whistler

by Alexis Baran June 10, 2022

June 10, 2022

Andrea Mueller marries her draw to the natural world with an emotional style of painting that stems from time as a young girl watching…

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march, 2023

18aug(aug 18)9:30 am17apr(apr 17)5:00 pmSurrey on Screen(august 18) 9:30 am - (april 17) 5:00 pm 17710 56A AvenueEvent Type:Art EventAdmission Type:Free

17nov01julAll We Want Is More: The Tobias Wong Project(november 17) 10:00 am - (july 1) 8:00 pm Event Type:Art EventAdmission Type:Ticketed

03dec(dec 3)10:00 am16apr(apr 16)8:00 pmNEXT: Provisional Structures: Carmen Papalia with Co-Conspirators(december 3) 10:00 am - (april 16) 8:00 pm 750 Hornby StreetEvent Type:Art EventAdmission Type:Ticketed

Event Details

The Vancouver Art Gallery is pleased to present: NEXT: Provisional Structures: Carmen Papalia with Co-Conspirators, a new project by Carmen Papalia and his co-conspirators that centres disability cultures within the Gallery.

For Papalia, the process of making spaces accessible to a broader cross-section of the public is inherently creative and works created by the artist are often a means to test, model and share his ideas about accessibility. At the centre of the exhibition is an ambitious architectural installation created by the artist in collaboration with local architect Michael Lis. The piece is comprised of a large acoustic dome that visitors can enter, encircled by tall, wooden towers. The structure appears to be temporarily and briskly constructed, giving tangible form to Papalia’s notion of a model for accessibility that can rise spontaneously in response to the given needs of a group.

In the artist’s words, “Provisional Structures is at once an installation, an institutional intervention and a call to action that serves as a platform for disabled artists, curators and cultural workers by requiring the institutions that exhibit it to dedicate time, space and resources to the development of the systems necessary to hold disability culture and artistry in its wholeness.”

In keeping with the principles of Papalia’s practice, the artist has also invited a group of co-conspirators to support and generously share ideas that resonate and relate to disability justice and social cohesion. Works by participating artists including Sharona Franklin and Heather Kai Smith complement and poetically extend some of the themes and ideas within Papalia’s practice. Rebel Fayola Rose and the collaborative duo, The Curiosity Paradox, both access advocates and artists will be participating in the exhibition through a series of public programs and performances. Details on the activities and dates will be available in the coming weeks.

Public engagement and programming are key components of the exhibition and workshops, talks and discussions will be held during the exhibition throughout its duration. Additional resources are also available on the Gallery’s app.

“In working with Carmen Papalia and Co-Conspirators, the Vancouver Art Gallery welcomes audiences to consider the possibilities of art as a non-visual experience,” said Anthony Kiendl, CEO & Director of Vancouver Art Gallery. “This exhibition is an example of contemporary art as a language that exceeds the visual – it is clearly about challenging ways of thinking and ideas. At the same time, the project introduces other voices and narratives from the contemporary disability movement. This creates not only an important but vital and relevant environment for the public to experience. We are very excited to be a hub for people to gather over the coming weeks of the exhibition.”