Two Artists Receive Tanabe Prize for B.C. Painters

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Robert Burke, "They Never Came Back," 2011

acrylic, 60" x 90"

Robert Burke and Rain Cabana-Boucher are the winners of the sixth annual Tanabe Prize for B.C. Painters, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria announced today. They each receive $15,000.

Mid-career artist Robert Burke was born in Fort Smith, N.W.T., in 1944, to a Metis woman and a Black American soldier he never knew. 

The selection committee said his paintings "express an energy of brilliant bold colours that defy the sombre memories and historical realities of Canada’s history." 

Burke was sent to residential school when he was four. He went on to work as a logger, a heavy-duty mechanic and cedar contractor, prior to attending the Victoria College of Art at the age of 53, graduating in 2000. Burke, who has lived on Vancouver Island for more than 50 years, has exhibited at public and commercial galleries.

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Rain Cabana-Boucher, "Pack of Dogs"

Cabana-Boucher is a Michif/British settler emerging artist raised in Saskatoon. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria in 2019. Her  practice explores autobiographical themes in relation to place and politics. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Victoria and Vancouver.

Winners of the Tanabe prize are selected by curators connected to British Columbia galleries. Selection is based on exceptional creativity coupled with a promise of future achievements. Names of the selectors are kept confidential. There is no application process for either curators or artists. The prize is administered by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Takao Tanabe was born in Prince Rupert, B.C., and lives on Vancouver Island. His paintings reflect his interest in abstraction and the landscape. 

Source: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria