Group 9: Affirming and Transforming

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Almut (A.S.T.A.) Dale, "Straight Talk," 2021

acrylic on canvas, 32” x 32”. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The official, in-person opening of both exhibitions will be taking place on Friday, July 22, 2022 at 7 pm. The exhibiting artists will be in attendance. The Artists’ and the Curator’s Talk will follow the official opening.

Group 9: Affirming and Transforming

Contemporary visual arts community in Calgary is a pluralistic phenomenon, identifiable by the rich diversity of artistic styles, individual goals, and innovative studio practices. The Calgary-based Group 9 is indicative of the stylistic and conceptual pluralism in the visual arts milieu of this city. Since its inception in October 2016, Group9 has evolved and matured under its guiding principles of Unity in Diversity/Diversity in Unity: united in the belief in the Group artistic activities and diverse in background, age, and practice. There is an evolving dynamism evident.

The Group 9 was formed by nine Calgary-based artists led by Seka Owen – a nationally and internationally renowned senior abstract painter from Calgary and a member of the prestigious Royal Canadian Academy of Art (RCA) - with the intention to provide the forum for artistic, conceptual, and philosophical debates on the current state of contemporary visual culture in Canada and around the globe, and to visually articulate and address their concerns through a series of regular art exhibitions and publication projects. After six successful exhibitions in public and commercial art galleries in Western Canada, the Group is proud of its accomplishments and looks forward to opportunities for exhibiting nationally and internationally.

Following the difficult period of restricted public access during the Covid-19 pandemic, Group 9 has adopted a positive outlook and has worked toward a vision entitled “Affirming and Transforming”. This exhibition displays works reflecting the results of resilience and fortitude with a vision of affirming the role of the visual arts in our changing society. The Group believes that art is an essential part of all learning, that it is an expression of humanity transforming a world of wonder coupled with challenge. The Group is an interaction in diversity, intensely curious about the world in which we find ourselves today. The members are molded by their unique experiences and individuality, and collectively strive to understand the function of art within today’s world.

The exhibition “Group 9: Affirming and Transforming” is not intended as a comprehensive academic analysis of artmaking in Calgary. It rather offers a quick snapshot of studio trends in Calgary and celebrates the distinctive vision and conceptual direction of each exhibiting artist. The impressive roster of work ranges from the colour-field abstract paintings of Seka Owen and Almut Dale, through lyrical abstraction of Cindy Delpart, gestural abstraction of Gregory Pyra, abstract compositions meticulously crafted by Susan Kristoferson in the ancient Japanese technique of suminagashi marbling to the post-Structuralist compositions of David Harrison. These works are strategically balanced with the metaphoric works by Jean Pederson (painting), Aaron Sidorenko (painting) and Cameron Roberts (sculpture).

The exhibition embraces the rich philosophical and conceptual diversity in a collection of over 30 works by nine Calgary-based visual artists and art educators. These exemplary works, alluding to basic truth, draw from human experiences which are condensed into fundamental visual metaphors and signs. Their works – in all their richness and diversity – serve not only to reflect stylistic and formalistic trends and directions in the Calgary’s visual arts milieu and the region, but also allow the artists the opportunity to add their voices to a larger discourse, namely that of major international trends.

Jacek MalecExhibition Curator

Presenting Partner: The Flanagan Foundation