Emily Wilson | Up Around the Bend

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Emily Wilson, "Yellowhead Dreamscape," 2023

gouache on paper. Courtesy of the Gallery.

Prince George-based artist Emily Wilson takes viewers on an uncanny road trip along Highway 16, exploring this transitional space between the urban and the wild. Up Around the Bend considers the complicated presence of humanity within the natural world and takes a new approach to the tradition of Canadian landscape paintings.

Two Rivers Gallery is thrilled to announce a new exhibition featuring work by Prince George-based artist Emily Wilson. Up Around the Bend is the culmination of many years living and working in Northwestern British Columbia. The result is a captivating series of paintings that tell an honest story of life in the region, from the majestic mountain peaks to the rustic service stations. Two Rivers Gallery is grateful to be the first gallery to showcase the breadth of Wilson’s work.

Up Around the Bend takes visitors on an uncanny road trip along Highway 16. Using the road as both a narrative tool and a metaphor for the boundary between nature and human industry, Wilson captures the reality of Northwestern British Columbia in a way that allows us to see it in a new light. Visitors will find the peculiar sights of a road trip northwest, including billboards boasting the world-class chicken racing of Fort St. James alongside a delicate grouping of swans. This work challenges the long tradition of representing the Canadian landscape as pristine, untouched wilderness. By including both the picturesque and the gritty realities of the region, Wilson captures the North with thoughtful observation and a sense of humour. It feels familiar to those who live here and is a perfect introduction for those who don’t.

Emily Wilson’s understanding of home is interwoven with the wilderness. In discussing Up Around the Bend, she says, “Whether you’ve lived your whole life in northern BC or you’ve never set foot near here, I hope these new works will show you both the dark and light, the weirdness and beauty that make this region unique.” Wilson lives and works on Lheidli T’enneh territory and holds a Certificate of Visual Arts from Vancouver Island School of Art and a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and History from McGill University.