Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
24 August 2021 Vol 6 No 17 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2021
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
Arts writer John K. Grande poses a vital question in this issue: Why is art that deals with our relationship to nature so minimized in today’s art world? His commentary focuses on a particular piece of public art – one of my favourites, Vancouver’s remarkable Trans Am Totem – but also raises a broader issue that merits thought.
Perhaps there’s no singular answer, but a confluence of reasons to do with nature’s long-time relegation to “genre” and the legacy of landscape painting, along with the distractions of glittery new technologies. There’s also the tendency of the current economic system – which influences the cultural ecosystem in myriad ways – to focus on short-term gains rather than long-term sustainability.
The heat dome, wildfires and other environmental havoc we’ve been witnessing this summer as a result of climate change, is indeed, an inconvenient truth. Many folks want to do better, but we also love our gadgets, our cars, our international travel and the other privileges that collectively take such a heavy toll on the environment.
Grande is right when he observes the primacy of nature for humanity. When things seem to be going well, at least for some of us, it's easy to forget the fundamental reality that our lives depend on the ecosystem’s ability to provide fresh air, water and food. Instead, our monkey minds busily go looking for new playthings.
Many of us have also overlooked how much modernity’s way of life has been based on exploitation – of nature, of course, but also of each other. For example, museums are only now starting to address structural racism with a new focus on work by BIPOC or IBPOC artists – Indigenous, Black and People of Colour.
In this issue, we cover two such shows, one by Luther Konadu at the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina, and the other by Angeline Simon at Harcourt House in Edmonton. And I would be remiss here not to acknowledge that many Indigenous artists have long raised fundamental environmental issues in their work.
We also consider work from an unusual artist residency on the frontlines of B.C.’s environmental movement – the blockades to prevent logging of irreplaceable old-growth forests on Vancouver Island. Expect a follow-up to the show, Last Stand: Ancient Forests, Collective Action, next year at the University of Victoria’s excellent Legacy art gallery.
Other stories in this issue include Through a Collector’s Eye, a review of an exhibition at Contemporary Calgary of work from a prominent private collection. The show illustrates the influential role collectors can have in the art ecosystem through their support of particular artists, curators and institutions. The reality that the wealth of collectors is often built on the back of the environment is another inconvenient cultural truth.
In contrast, Off the Beaten Path, this issue’s final story, explores five galleries in rural settings. Amongst the various hierarchies in art, cultural regionalism sees small-town galleries typically relegated to a bottom rung. This story suggests we need to open our eyes and look a little more carefully.
An alert reader has taken us to task on Facebook for seemingly promoting tourism in the B.C. Interior fire zone through our inclusion of Headbones Gallery in Vernon. This story was assigned and researched at a more optimistic time when pandemic travel restrictions were being lifted and the wildfire season had not yet started. By the time we were able to publish, it seemed unfair to remove a gallery that was expecting to be included. We trust that any readers on summer road trips are smart enough to stay away from wildfires.
Meanwhile, looking ahead to our next issue, we're working on a story about how artists in the fire zone are coping. We’ve heard stories about artists who were burned out or had to flee at short notice, as well as others who are struggling to work under a thick blanket of smoke. I lived in Kelowna through the Okanagan Mountain Park fire of 2003, and many subsequent blazes, and know firsthand how difficult it can be. Some artists are making work about the experience and I’m hoping to include examples with the story, perhaps as a slide show. Do drop a line to editor@gallerieswest.ca if you’d like to be included.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: John K. Grande, Megan Klak, Agnieszka Matejko, Tak Pham, Lissa Robinson
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Special Measures for Journalism Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
