Western Canada’s art magazine since 2002
1 October 2024 Vol 9 No 20 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2024
Shelley Boettcher
From the Editor
Fall is a good time to be inside: visit some art galleries, check out a film festival or two.
With that in mind, John Thomson shares his thoughts on the Small File Media Festival coming up soon in Vancouver, an interesting short festival that, he notes, takes on “bandwidth imperialism” and “our compulsive addiction to data that is cleaner, sharper, and instantaneously accessible.” (You still have time to get tickets.)
When Alison Bigg began to lose her hearing, she decided to look at the experience as material for her art. Agnieszka Matejko explores “the funny, quirky, yet reflective artworks” that are part of Bigg's new show, Auricals, at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre in Edmonton until Oct. 5.
Are you in art school or contemplating attending? Janille Delos Reyes's second feature for us, Fund Your Visual Arts Education, offers myriad suggestions and places to access money for your degree. Watch for more stories in this series on art schools down the road.
And the latest Galleries West Bookmark column comes to us from Barbara Duncan, who reviews Gathering of Strangers: Why Museums Matter by Maria Balshaw.
The 43rd annual Vancouver International Film Festival runs through Oct. 6 and features plenty for artists and visual arts lovers. Just two on the extensive list: John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger and Viva Niki — The Spirit of Niki de Saint Phalle, the story of feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
Heading to Paris? Don't miss Vikky Alexander's solo show, Dream Palace, at the Galerie Allen in Paris until Oct. 5. If you're not familiar with her work, here's what Alison Sinkwicz had to say in 2020: “Vikky Alexander’s photographs don’t let you forget about your problems, particularly if one of your vices is buying shit you don’t need.” In other word, it's definitely art that makes you think...
Or head to South Korea, where six Inuit artists from West Baffin Cooperative — Saimaiyu Akesuk, Shuvinai Ashoona, Qavavau Manumie, Pitseolak Qimirpik, Ooloosie Saila and Ningiukulu Teevee — and three Korean artists have been chosen to share their drawings at the 15th annual Gwangju Biennale in South Korea. The biennale is on now through Dec. 1.
Last but not least, a shout-out to Canadian freelance writer and former Galleries West intern Joseph Paris for placing gold this week at the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association Awards. His story, Revisiting a Loaded History, looks at Canada's first prime minister and his time at Bellevue House in Kingston, Ont.
And frequent contributor Sarah Swan was a finalist in the 2024 AMPA Awards for her essay, The Good, the Bad and the Morally Ambiguous, one of our most popular stories so far in 2024.
Thanks again for reading and as always, stay in touch. We at Galleries West look forward to your letters.
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Barbara Duncan, Agnieszka Matejko, Janille Delos Reyes, John Thomson
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Periodical Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
