Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
14 December 2021 Vol 6 No 25 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2021
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
For Galleries West’s fifth annual art books issue, we looked for an upbeat mix, thinking some light reading might be a salve for these pandemic-weary times. But the universe had other plans.
We normally give priority to Canadian publishers, but as we had already reviewed many Canadian books this year due to gallery closures, we also reached out internationally. However, publishers everywhere were dealing with supply-chain issues and several of our picks were not available.
Consequently, we subbed in a few books that were at hand, but not as cheery. One is Matthew Wong: Blue View, published by the Art Gallery of Ontario in conjunction with a show of the same name that includes work completed shortly before the artist’s 2019 suicide.
His work sparked the interest of Edmonton arts writer Agnieszka Matjeko, who was moved by the poignant intensity of the artist’s nocturnal paintings of Edmonton’s river valley, where she runs regularly. She provided a beautifully written and deeply empathetic story. We asked the Art Gallery of Ontario for images of the works that most resonated with her, and they provided them, telling us the necessary permissions to publish them were in place.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. We had a call last week from the gallery advising that the Matthew Wong Foundation had complained. The gallery apologized for their error, and we pulled down the images – Solitude, First Snow and End of the Day – adding an explanatory note at the end of the story.
Our policy, in line with standard journalistic protocols, is to use images with permission of the photographer and to credit the source. In nine years as editor, this is the first time I’ve had to pull down images. To see these evocative works now, you will need to purchase the catalogue or go to the show, although one painting was posted online at Wong’s New York gallery, Karma, when I last checked. The value of the artist’s work has escalated rapidly, with his 2017 painting, River at Dusk, setting an auction record last year of more than US$4 million.
This issue includes four other reviews. Sarah Swan writes on Library, a collection of cheeky book covers by Winnipeg’s Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber. Megan Klak proves her mettle to her partner, a professional chef, by bravely cooking her way through The Kitchen Studio, a book of eccentric artist recipes – like meringue smiley faces and a Jell-O salad filled with plastic toy soldiers. Lissa Robinson looks at three engaging children’s books for the young artists on your holiday list. And I tackle Keep Making Your Art No Matter What, a self-help book filled with useful advice for frustrated artists.
Our lead story is a comprehensive roundup of Canadian art books published in 2021. This is the fifth time I’ve written this feature. It’s a massive task as there is no centralized database of Canadian books about art. Please feel free to add your favourites – or anything we may have missed – in our comment section. I’ve wound in information about supply-chain challenges, as well as advice from booksellers: Shop early in local shops, particularly for gifts, to be sure you have them in time.
This is one of my favourite issues of the year so I hope you enjoy it too. Please consider sharing our stories with your networks to help boost awareness of these writers and artists.
Meanwhile, stay tuned to our website as we post our year-end issue over the next two weeks – we’re working on a series of longer pieces about the past year’s trends and issues. It will be good reading for those turkey-sated days when it’s hard to pry yourself off the sofa.
From all of us at Galleries West, best wishes for the holiday season!
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Megan Klak, Agnieszka Matejko, Lissa Robinson, Sarah Swan
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.
