Artist Talk & Opening Reception - Flow: From the Movement of People to the Circulation of Information

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Chun Hua Catherine Dong, "A Fair Day’s Work," 2016

performance, Photo by John Vo

Artist Talk & Opening Reception: Saturday, April 14 | 6:30−9pm

Celebrate the opening of our spring exhibitions Flow: From the Movement of People to the Circulation of Information; Elizabeth Hollick: Body Politic; and Ben Bogart: Watching and Dreaming. A talk with exhibiting artist Elizabeth Hollick will start at 6:30pm. The reception at 7:30pm will include a performance by Chun Hua Catherine Dong in partnership with local collective AgentC Projects called “Undocumented”. Dong’s performance evokes the experience of migration, the regulation of borders, and aesthetics of administration.

Our world is marked by the ever-increasing movement of peoples, products, and ideas over vast distances and at rapid speeds.

The over two dozen artworks presented in this exhibition address numerous themes, including transnational migration, the exchange of information and data, the force of waterways and weather systems, the physical movement of human bodies, and the transportation of materials and products to market by rail or by foot. These movements and transmissions dictate the limits of life, the energetic potential of nature, the dynamics of economies, and the transformative potential of individuals and societies.

Some works, like Val Nelson’s painting Rush Hour 2 (2014), draw attention to the flow of people in our cities. In particular, Nelson’s work examines the relationship between the congestion of our roadways with our culture’s enthusiasm for grand detached homes and single-occupancy vehicles. Delving more into the movement of goods, Sara Graham’s Thornton Railyard, Surrey #4 (2015) uses miniature filigreed collage techniques to depict the contours and history of freight movement of one of British Columbia’s largest rail yards.

Soheila Esfahani’s The Immigrants: Homage to F.H. Varley (2015) reimagines a classic image of new immigrants arriving in Canada as seen in Varley’s c.1922 painting with found blue and white porcelain plates and custom ceramics printed with imagery chosen by the artist’s family, friends, and colleagues. Brendan Tang’s brightly coloured clay vessel Manga Ormolu Version 4.1-a (2009) combines stylistic elements from Ming Dynasty era ceramics with techno-pop robotic elements reminiscent of Japanese anime, manga, toys, and video games. Out of Tang’s vessel gushes a black ectoplasm-like pumice meant to evoke both nineteenth-century spiritualism and twentieth-century science fiction. Liquid flow of another sort is seen in Edward Burtynsky’s large-scale photographs showing shiny steel liquid natural gas pipelines zig-zagging across northern British Columbian landscapes.

The wide variety of images and objects make visible some of the most central conflicts and issues of our time, while revealing the beauty, wonder, and ingenuity of human and natural worlds.

Artists: Sean Alward, Mary Frances Batut, Edward Burtynsky, Soheila Esfahani, Monique Fouquet, Sara Graham, Antonia Hirsch, Brian Howell, Ian Johnston, Myron Jones, Laura Wee Láy Láq, Simon Levin, Vicky Marshall, Val Nelson, Philippe Raphanel, Helma Sawatzky, Hari Sharma, Haris Sheikh, Meera Margaret Singh, Reva Stone, Brendan Tang, Jer Thorpe, Paul Wong

Exhibition Tour: Saturday, May 5 | 2:30−4pm

Hearing anecdotes, stories, and thematic connections can make art come alive. Learn more about the artwork in Flow: From the Movement of People to the Circulation of Information in an informal tour with conversation led by Surrey Art Gallery curator Jordan Strom.

Family Sunday: Sunday, June 10 | 11am−3pm

Drop in to create, explore, and enjoy art with friends and family! Engage in activities that respond to the exhibitions, including hands-on artmaking workshops in a range of mediums, an art explorer game in the Gallery, and interactive performances in the Studio Theatre.

Admission to all exhibitions and events is free unless otherwise noted (donations gratefully accepted).