HEATHER BENNING: A Prairie Gothic: Let Our Fields Be Broader, But Our Nights So Much Darker.
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Art Gallery of Swift Current 411 Herbert Street E, Swift Current, Saskatchewan S9H 1M5

Heather Benning, "Work Hard Be Nice (detail view)," 2014
mixed media
Each series contributes to an overarching narrative of the prairie gothic. Stories of innocence, haunting memories and romantic ideals of settler life on the prairies are intertwined with dark narratives and tragic loss. Benning presents viewers with iconic images and monuments of prairie rural life that not only acknowledge the passing of an era, the loss of a connection to our rural roots, idyllic dreams that are never realized and the inevitability of change, but also reflect a sensitivity and respect for the individual lives and stories, whether real or imagined, that collectively contribute towards a prairie sensibility or mythology.
Exhibition Curator is Jennifer McRorie. This exhibition was presented at Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery in fall 2015 and will be at the Mann Art Gallery in Prince Albert in 2017. This exhibition was organized by Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery in partnership with Art Gallery of Swift Current. An exhibition publication with essay is available.
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