Tara Nicholson: Cultivate

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Tara Nicholson, "Spray Suit," 2017

archival print, 42" x 52"

Enjoy an evening of music, contemporary art, locally crafted beer, wine, and appetizers on Thursday, October 19, 2017, from 6 p.m – 8 p.m.

"Cannabis, a controversial topic in our country right now with the proposition of legalization just around the corner in 2018.  The VPAG would like to welcome you to our opening reception on October 19th to explore and discuss the issues of cannabis production through Tara Nicholson’s exhibition, Cultivate. This glimpse into the hidden realm of grow ops is seen through the lens of Nicholson’s camera as she ventures into both legal and illegal operations and provides us with a view rarely seen by the public."

"Joining Nicholson at this opening reception is Ann Willsie, our Artist in Residence from the Mackie Lake House.  Her exhibition titled 21 Days of Light was produced during her recent stay at this historic home.  I’d like to thank the Mackie Lake House for this partnership which results in an annual exhibition each year."- Dauna KennedyVPAG Executive Director

Victoria-based artist Tara Nicholson’s latest body of large-scale photographs focus on the instigation of a dialogue about the nature of cannabis cultivation and its use in the light of proposed decriminalization of cannabis for recreational use by federal government planned for July 2018.

Nicholson visited and photographed grow operations both licensed and unlicensed on Vancouver Island and the interior of BC in order to document the artificial environment created for the indoor cultivation of cannabis. The images capture various sites which were engineered to control the environment in which the plants are cultivated. Nicholson’s photographs portray almost laboratory-like conditions where the exposure to light during the day, amount of water, nutrients, air flow and venting are precisely controlled.

Despite the fact that most of Nicholson’s photographs are devoid of humans, in some images the viewer gets a glance of activities performed by people during the routine cycle of cannabis cultivation. Just like in her previous bodies of work, Nicholson documents the workspaces and people working there, whether in a small size cubicle grow op or a large warehouse-sized production.

Tara Nicholson completed her BFA at Ryerson University and followed to complete her MFA at the Concordia University. She teaches art at the University of Victoria since graduating in 2010.