Tales from the Crypt

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David Leith, “untitled,” 1983

(courtesy of the Gallery)

Tales from the Crypt is a selection of works from The Polygon Gallery’s vault. For 34 years since its founding in 1983, the BC Photography and Media Arts Society – better known as Presentation House Gallery – welcomed visitors to the upper floor of Presentation House at 333 Chesterfield Avenue. In 2017, the Society moved to its new home at The Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Court. Across this time, photographs have amassed in the Gallery’s archives: some left over from past exhibitions, some donated by artists for fundraising initiatives or study, and others whose origins have become obscured as the organization transforms.

While The Polygon is a non-collecting institution, the presence of these photographs reflects the human urge to hold onto objects deemed important, whether historically, aesthetically, economically, or emotionally. In reviewing this incidental accumulation, key moments in the Gallery’s history are revisited, images are re-interpreted, and new questions arise.

Led by Assistant Curator Serena Steel, and in collaboration with Registrar Alex Haythorne, who has been documenting and cataloging these materials, the curatorial team has chosen over forty photographs to represent the treasures of The Polygon’s vault. This exhibition attempts to understand each work further, from its broad historical context to the specifics of how The Polygon has become intertwined in its story. The selection, by no means exhaustive, ranges from the oldest photograph in storage, by Giorgio Sommer, to artworks by Blake Fitzpatrick, C.D. Hoy, and Chick Rice, among others. Many contain mysteries not yet solved. Sharing these remarkable images with the public, and studying their clues, forms a more complete picture of The Polygon Gallery’s past – and in doing so, helps to shape its future.