September 2, 2022 –August 24, 2023
The past few years have unquestionably been very difficult. Devastating climatic conditions; economic recession; social and political turmoil; and a devastating global pandemic have all taken their toll leaving many wondering what the future will hold. While some assert that ‘life’ will return to ‘normal’ or pre-pandemic times, others are not so sure. Will life return to what it was or does this time presage the development of different systems of government, economic structures, ways of social interaction and ways of actual living?
For thousands of years many artists have either reflected on current conditions in their work or created ‘alternate worlds’ which comment on the present or, through their own fantastical narratives, hint at how the future will unfold. The TREX exhibition Come What May features the work of three artists who, through a focus on ‘fantasy’ and imagination in their creative endeavors, reflect on the world as they find it or create new worlds which envision a different course for the human race. Will things get worse? Will they get better? Will life as we know it change and, if so, how?
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2)
September 2, 2022 –August 24, 2023
Figurative painting, referring to a type of representational art based on figure drawing, typically includes depictions of people in informal situations. The exhibition Figure It Out features the works of three Edmonton artists who focus on the human figure in their paintings. This exhibition, however, is about more than just human figures; it is also about storytelling. Featuring works by Riki Kuropatwa, Jennie Vegt and Campbell Wallace, these artists use the human figure to create stories. The meanings of the stories they construct, however, are obscure. Rather than fabricating narratives that have only one precise meaning, these artists actively engage viewers, pulling them into the paintings to try to figure out the narratives while inviting them to create their own tales based on the scene.
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2)
Ahkameyimo Never Give Up Brochure
Ahkameyimo Never Give Up Education Guide
December 15, 2022 –December 7, 2023
According to 2016 Canadian statistics, over 1,673,785 Indigenous peoples live in Canada with over half of this population residing in urban areas. Despite these statistics the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples in the urban environment are often ignored and erased. Indigenous people have long struggled to define who they are and many are now contesting the colonial belief that cities are non-Indigenous spaces and re-envisioning Western institutions and practices to support Indigenous cultures and identities. Such efforts recognize urban Indigenous identities as positive, complex, authentic and pluralist, involving a diversity of different ideas and expressions.
The travelling exhibition Ahkameyimo - Never Give Up features the work of two Indigenous artists whose works, while respecting traditional culture and visual imagery, also engage with the urban environment in which they reside. This exhibition features art works by Matthew Cardinal and Lonigan Gilbert.
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2)
December 17, 2020 to December 8, 2021
The Woodland style has influenced many Indigenous artists throughout Canada over the past sixty years. While all are unique talents, many artists who have followed Morrisseau have made use of the rudiments of the Woodland style. These include the expressive and symbolic use of line; images of transformation; x-ray decoration; and the manipulation of bright, contrasting colours.
The travelling exhibition Turtle Island features the work of three contemporary Indigenous artists from central Alberta who, to varying degrees, bear witness to the importance of the Woodland style in their work. Whether through drawing or paint on canvas, these artists demonstrate the bonds between all creatures and celebrate life on Turtle Island, the place we all call home.
The exhibition Turtle Island was curated by Shane Golby and organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program. This exhibition was made possible through generous funding from Syncrude Canada Ltd.
September 7, 2023 –February 28, 2024
The landscape is alive and fluctuating—and so is our own journey through it. As we move through the world, we experience a wonderful abundance of senses, thoughts, and feelings as our bodies respond to, absorb, and contribute to our surroundings. For millennia, artists have imaginatively worked to translate these embodied experiences, including phenomena that extend beyond the visual senses like smell, touch, emotion, spirituality, sound, and time. Balancing between abstract marking and painterly realism, the exhibition Touching the Sky features three Peace Region artists whose work is rooted in exploring these embodied experiences and our ability to represent them through art.
Curated by Robin Lynch, Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (TREX Region 1)
Strange and Known Places Education Guide
September 7, 2023 –February 28, 2024
The exhibition’s title reflects on the familiar geography that ties these artists together and the overarching use of personal mythology or an exploration of lesser-understood aspects of the human experience. The exhibition presents 17 artworks in a range of materials including textiles, performance, leather work, blown glass, painting, drawing, and video. The included artworks envelop a wide range of enthusiasms, curiosities, and passions, offering audiences a chance to see the world in surprising and affecting new frames
Curated by Kira Vlietstra and Genevieve Farrell, Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre (TREX Region 4)
September 7, 2023 –February 28, 2024
Since 1972 the AFA, a provincial corporation of the Government of Alberta, has been acquiring art by notable Albertan artists on behalf of the Albertan public. This initiative was born out of the desire to support and encourage Albertan artists by investing in their work, while simultaneously preserving an important aspect of our shared cultural history. Today, the collection includes over 9,000 artworks in mediums ranging from painting and drawing to sculpture, ceramics, fiber arts, prints, photography and media art. The collection continues to grow with art acquisitions by application taking place each year.
Curated by Genevieve Farrell, Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre (TREX Region 4).
Women Gone Wild Education Guide
September 7, 2023 –August 28, 2024
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Women Gone Wild! explores the subject of wild creatures and the natural world as expressed in the work of three contemporary women artists from Edmonton. Featuring works by Cynthia Fuhrer, Jenny Keith and Samantha Walrod, the depictions of wild creatures presented by these artists range from realistic representations to more abstract and surrealistic impressions. These artists also demonstrate diverse reasons for choosing their subjects. Whatever their artistic approach and intentions, however, all three artists reveal a love and respect for nature in their works and through them invite viewers to ‘go wild‘ as well.
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2).
September 7, 2023 –August 28, 2024
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Cradle presents the work of three artists, currently residing in Edmonton, who originally come from regions associated with cradles of civilization in the Middle East and South-East Asia. Arriving in Canada as economic immigrants or refugees from war and conflict, each of these artists is a story teller, sharing in their artworks ancient and rich cultural histories and legacies. While concerned with specific places and people in their works, however, these artists also strive to address more universal concerns to demonstrate that, regardless of where people come from, we are really all one people with similar dreams and desires.
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2)
No End To Our Looking Brochure
No End To Our Looking Education Guide
September 7, 2023 –August 28, 2024
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition …no end to our looking, featuring works from the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, explores the enduring legacy of the still-life as this subject has been expressed by artists in Alberta over the past forty years. Presenting an eclectic mix of styles and media, this exhibition invites viewers to look long and hard at the objects around them: to put themselves in the place of the artist and experience the shapes, textures, colours and meanings of the material items which surround them and help define who they are as people.
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2).
March 7 –August 28, 2024
Beyond settler borders and monuments, the works in this exhibition recognize the power and importance of place; from the desire paths left over from continually wandering the same treasured areas in meadows, fields, and forests, to the objects and scents that come to represent the ways that we’ve known these spots across landscapes.
Co-curated by Robin Lynch and Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet, Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (TREX Region 1)
March 7 –August 28, 2024
The exhibition We Are Immigrants explores the hidden hardships and legacy of early Chinese Canadian immigrants from the mid 19th century onward. It also celebrates their resilience in overcoming immense adversity and their contribution to Canada in solidifying the country’s confederacy.
Archival images, texts, historical novels, and personal interviews have collectively informed Cheung’s imagery sources and interventions. The color yellow (a stinging label yet also the seed of the artist’s identity) is reclaimed as a celebratory symbol for all Asians and is ingrained in the series to emphasize Asians as one of the earliest settlers in Canada. Chinese immigrants are an integral part of Canada’s military history and economy, and should therefore be celebrated with confidence.
Curated by Ashley Slemming, Alberta Society of Artists (TREX Region 3)
March 7 –August 28, 2024
Isaak’s portraits in the exhibition Alone Together are not just generic portraits. During one of the more severe COVID 19 lockdowns in Alberta, Isaak put a call out on Instagram asking if anyone would be interested in submitting photographs of themselves while in isolation that she would later draw. Isaak received an overwhelming response from interested participants. Most of the faces were strangers to her, but she endeavored to capture a communal familiarity in the experiences we were all facing at the time. She developed this portrait series to shine a light on times where we may have felt quite alone, but we were able to navigate these moments together as a community.
Curated by Ashley Slemming, Alberta Society of Artists (TREX Region 3)
A Cordial Word Education Guide
March 7 –August 28, 2024
Flowers have been a common theme explored by artists for millennia. One reason for this is their unquestioned beauty. A second reason for their popularity with artists is that, traditionally, flowers have been rich in both religious and secular symbolism.
The exhibition A Cordial Word, featuring works from the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, shines a spotlight on flowers and the flower garden. Expressing a variety of artistic styles and media, the artworks in this exhibition invite viewers to reflect on the beauty and fragility of these natural wonders and to appreciate and nurture the flowers in their midst.
Curated by Shane Golby, Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2)