From the Editor - February 28, 2023 Issue

February 27, 2023

9:30 PM

Western Canada's art magazine since 2002

Portia Priegert

From the Editor

I have been reading American critic Jerry Saltz’s latest collection of reviews, Art is Life, inspired by Sarah Swan’s wonderful love letter in our annual art books issue. I was particularly fascinated by his description of his childhood awakening to art when he visited a gallery for the first time with his mother.

I can’t cite many details as I returned the book to the library last week for the next person on the waiting list. But the gist is that Saltz had the sudden insight that each painting he looked at was telling a story.

When I sat down to write this note, starting, as I always do, by looking at the thumbnail images on our home page, my mind drifted back to Saltz, and I saw a common thread linking this issue’s articles – the narrative impulse.

It’s spelled out literally in Euphrates Storyteller, which tells how Syrian refugee Aboud Salman has rekindled his art career in Alberta. Leaving and Waving, a moving show by American photographer Deanna Dikeman, also has a strong narrative aspect related to familial ties and the passage of time. Similarly, Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s epic nine-channel video installation, The Visitors, offers a layered lyrical eulogy to youth and his marriage, as well as a celebration of community.

Meanwhile, The Mall explores various narratives around the excesses of the vast West Edmonton Mall, from its ill-fated dolphins to its gaudy fun-fair attractions. The Toronto artist known as Paul P. evokes a dream-like storyline from what he calls the golden age of gay history. And, finally, After Holbein, travels back further in time to explore the entwined histories of the Tudors and Turkish carpets.

After immersing myself in these articles as I edit and fact check, I feel like I have travelled through a vast swath of time and space. Art offers a rich array of pleasures and fills many physical, intellectual and emotional needs – it can stimulate our senses, encourage us to ponder history or arouse our empathy for others. It can also evoke existential wonder or, sometimes, just downright puzzle us. But Saltz is right. More than anything, art tells stories.

Looking ahead, coming issues are still gelling, as is increasingly the case in these uncertain times. But we are working on reviews of shows by Vancouver-based Kathy Slade and Inuit artist David Ruben Piqtoukun, as well as a news feature about Parks Canada and its plan to display Indigenous art at a historical site – Sir John A. Macdonald’s former residence in Kingston, Ont.

Until next time,