Griffin Art Projects presents Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar, an exhibition that shines a new light on the dynamic West Coast art scene of the 1960s and 1970s. Co-curated by Lisa Baldissera and David MacWilliam, the show delves into the work of Joan Balzar (1928 – 2016) and Michael Morris (1942-2022), who were both foundational in the history of conceptual art, abstraction, and Op Art on the West Coast. The exhibition is on view from January 27 – May 4, 2024 with an opening reception on Friday, January 26th from 6 – 8PM.
On view will be nearly 90 works, drawn from private collections, including original artwork and Morris’ personal art collection, which reflected his broad travels, studies, and international influences. Select photographs from the artists’ archives will also be on view. Balzar, perhaps the lesser known artist, was prolific. However, many of her paintings and archives were lost in a studio fire in 1970. This exhibition is a rare presentation of Balzar’s work, spanning her career, drawn from the collection of her niece, Shawn Macmillan.
Through her art, Balzar expressed her passion for space and science and fascination with the atomic era and electronic communication. She was known for her hard-edge abstraction style, use of brilliant colours, especially neon, to create sensory experiences for the viewer. Both Balzar and Morris studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University), Balzar graduating in 1958, just as Morris was beginning in 1960. They studied under many of the same artists — Jack Shadbolt, Joe Plaskett, Peter Aspell, Roy Kiyooka, and Don Jarvis — and both achieved early success in the late 1960s, with their hard-edge abstraction paintings, and later, their conceptual explorations.
“Joan Balzar was a foundational, major artist on the West Coast,” says Baldissera, director of Griffin Art Projects. “Balzar’s tremendous innovation has not been fully appreciated on a national scale, having received limited attention across the country and known primarily from presentations in BC institutions. This is a special opportunity for art lovers to learn about Balzar’s importance as they explore the numerous connections that link her to Morris and the larger West Coast art scene.”
Michael Morris was a British-born multimedia artist and curator based in Victoria. With an early focus on abstract painting and printmaking, Morris’s collaborative practice also spanned film, photography, video, installation, and performance. In 1969, he co-founded Image Bank (now the Morris/Trasov Archive), a conceptual vehicle for mail art projects, which featured events and collaborations with artists. In 1973, he co-founded the Western Front and was its director for seven years. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from Emily Carr University, the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, and the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts.
Intersecting Orbits offers viewers a rare and wonderful opportunity to view works previously not available to the public, and to gain insight into the extent of the influence of two important West Coast artists.
Upcoming programs include a Curator’s Tour on Sunday, February 11th from 1 – 2:30PM and a conference, Arcs and Orbits: Art, Relationality and Innovation, on Sunday, March 10th from 11AM – 2PM.
Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar is on view from January 27 – May 5, 2024. Visit griffinartprojects.ca for details.
Griffin Art Projects
1174 Welch Street
North Vancouver, BC V7P 1B2
Article by: Kristin Lim
Feature image: Joan Balzar, Silver Scape, 1962-1965, chrome aluminum and acrylic on canvas, 53 x 90 in. Courtesy of Shawn Macmillan. Photo by Ken Dyke.
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