Tiko Kerr and Otoniya J. Okot Bitek | if becomes when

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Tiko Kerr, "Poet in Summer Landscape," 2023

mixed-media on Canvas, 66x48". Courtesy of the Artist.

Tiko Kerr is a local artist who since the 1980’s, has been an important figure in the Vancouver cultural scene through his artmaking and community activism. Kerr’s work is fundamentally informed by how he personally sees the world and the way human vision functions to interpret the world.

This multi-part installation derives from Kerr’s long-time interest in collage informed by his practice as a painter. One component reflects his recent explorations of the multi-layered plexiglass wall reliefs of the last few years; another are unique large works that combine collage, digital printing, and painting, which focus attention on the textures and markings created during the collage process enhanced by the application of additional collage elements on the surface of the work. Also featured are new pieces utilizing Plexi Tondi, painted and collaged, and set on a mirrored table, utilizing light and reflection within the work; and a columnar piece, combining elements of collage, drawing and sculpture, and standing over 8’ tall.

A site-specific series, undertaken in collaboration with poet Otoniya J. Okot Bitek - a diasporic writer and academic based in Kingston, Ontario – brings together the two artists in a work painted, collaged and drawn onto large vinyl sheets and suspended in front of an enlarged collage, printed on canvas and hung on the wall behind. The text and markings on the vinyl sheets are read in combination with the large collage work, and the shifting of the viewer’s position and the slight fluttering of the vinyl sheets creates a dynamic visual experience enhanced by the shifting natural light falling into the Gallery throughout the day.

Artists : Tiko Kerr | tikokerr@me.com | 604.839.3940 | IG :@tikokerr

Otoniya J. Okot Bitek | julianeokotbitek.com | 604.612.0995 | TW :@jobitek