The Polygon Gallery presents the Canadian premiere of ANTI-ICON: APOKALYPSIS, Martine Gutierrez’s first major solo show in Canada. The exhibition features 17 self-portraits in which Gutierrez transforms herself into a pantheon of influential heroines who have become legendary through depictions in art history, pop culture, and religion. Her exquisite transformations into Ardhanarishvara, Cleopatra, the Virgin Mary, and Joan of Arc among others, are photographed with the style and glamour of luxury fashion magazines. Using simple sets and minimal props, Gutierrez subverts class, gender, celebrity, and other notions that give images “iconic” status. Originally commissioned by Public Art Fund in 2021 and circulated on bus shelters in New York, Chicago, and Boston, the series was last on view in three separate parts across New York, San Francisco, and London galleries in 2023. The Polygon presentation will be the first time the series will be seen in its entirety.

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

Feature image: Martine Gutierrez Ardhanarishvara, 2021 C-print mounted on Dibond, hand-distressed welded aluminum frame, optium plexi Edition of 7 139.7 x 97.2 cm

Join us for a special educational talk exploring the rich biodiversity of bee species native to BC, led by Oliver Cook, a gardener with the District of West Vancouver. Oliver will showcase some of the unique bee species found in our area and provide tips on how to make a successful pollinator garden. Participants can then make a flower jar lantern to take home.

Bees come in all shapes, sizes, and colours and occupy a wide range of habitats and environmental niches. In total, there are over 700 bee species native to BC. Participants can make a simple jar lantern to take home using pollinator foliage and flowers from 5–6 p.m. Suitable for ages 4 and up if accompanied by an adult. All materials supplied.

Oliver Cook works for the Parks Department at the District of West Vancouver. He is graduate of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Urban Ecosystems Degree Program.

This event is part of Sustain, a series of community-engaged exhibitions and programs focusing on sustainable practices and countering climate change anxiety, supported by the West Vancouver Foundation Community Grant.

Cost: $10