Cara Bain | Surroundings

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Cara Bain, “Shroud,” 2023

oil & copper Leaf on canvas (courtesy of the Gallery)

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 2 from noon to 4 pm. The artist will be in attendance.

THIS Gallery is excited to present a new solo exhibition by Vancouver painter, Cara Bain. The exhibition asks, "What do we hold, carry, push through, and receive during the act of making something new?"

In this series, paintings of the human figure at rest are surrounded by bedding. While giving us needed comfort, protection, and escape from our daily lives, these surroundings act as soft walls—barriers that protect us from the outside world but also separate us from it. Perhaps at a cost.  

The cloth in this series is an active second character in each piece—it encases, envelopes, and protects these figures from the outside world. Teal textures intermingled with the copper leaf are created in these pieces by applying chemicals that produce various coloured patina effects. The smooth portions of uncorroded metal accentuate a pure and uncomplicated ideal of what falling asleep means. In actuality, it is a much more complex and mysterious process of letting go, often disrupted by invasive thoughts.

In immediate contrast to the soft, comforting protection of cloth, are works painted on found tools. A saw, for instance. A constructive tool of creation, but also a jagged, forceful object, full of friction. A passive hand gently lifts a slack thread – stored potential energy waiting to be unleashed. Can it incorporate friction to build something new, or will it remain in a state of rest? 

The contrasting materials used in this body of work illustrate the complex dynamics of being vulnerable. As an artist, one exposes the deepest parts of oneself relentlessly and repeatedly to criticism and judgment. This work is a testament to artists’ stubborn will to—work, retreat, repeat.