Nicholas Wade | stranded
to
The Gallery at Casa 230 8 Street, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 5H2
Nicholas Wade, “stranded,” 2024
(courtesy of the Gallery)
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
This text (the silvered thicket) was written and re-written with help, 20 times, so its relation to the dream is spurious at best… as it is now processed through conscious thinking about “flow”, materials and these present conditions.
For years I have felt responsible to take seriously the appearance of artifacts, tools, gifts as they present in dreamlife…and the way in which head, heart and hand are implicated. The contexts (if they exist, narrative or otherwise), in which I encounter these things are best communicated when they are offered by *another voice. Other components here derive from intuitive and/or occasional painful overthinking. (attach image)
Nick Wade retired from 18 years of teaching at the U of L Art Dept in 2011. He has since been working in Lethbridge and at a home studio on the top of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Georgian Bay In Ontario. Teaching experience also includes, Queens University in Kingston , Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Tyler School of Art, David Thompson University Centre in Nelson BC.
In 2000 and 2005 his work was included in the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art as well as in an exhibition in 2005 at the Ottawa art Gallery to celebrate Alberta’s Centenary year. In that year he completed his first public art commission at the new Millenium Library in Winnipeg. In 2014 he was represented at the 90th anniversary of the Art gallery of Alberta’s 90 artists/90 years exhibition. He curated an exhibition of the work of Susan Fraser Hughes and Eric Cameron in February of that year. He also showed new paintings at the Trianon Gallery in September of that year. In 2015. His work was shown at the Latcham Gallery north of Toronto, curated by Chai Duncan.
He showed recent 3D work at the Esplanade Art Gallery in November 2017 and at Casa in Lethbridge in March of 2018. He was one of 51 Canadian artists featured in a publication and exhibition of video interviews entitled “artists on art” which first showed at Harbourfront in Toronto and then at SAAG in Lethbridge, followed by presentation in Dubai in 2018–researched and assembled by Yvonne Lammerich and Ian Carr Harris over a three year period which offered insight into changes in Canadian art practice since the centennial year 1967. In 2019 he organized a show at Trianon gallery of his work with two Dutch artists , Rien Monshouwer and Jean van WiJk entitled Construct/Counterpoint. His exhibition “gifts” was seen at SAAG library in 2022
His work is represented in many private collections as well as the Province of Nova Scotia art collection, The Ontario Arts Council, The AFA and the Canada council Art Bank.