Tanya Bub: Mind Games, Defying The Art Space

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Tanya Bub, "Mind Games, Defying The Art Space," 2021

driftwood sculpture

Tanya Bub is a driftwood sculptor who currently has a solo exhibition on display at the Art @ Bentall Gallery. Mind Games, Defying The Art Space is intended to disrupt the conventional method of how art is presented and experienced, by placing it in scenarios that impose themselves on the viewer. The exhibition features life-size installations that fall into three separate themes - air, land, and sea.

In addition to her current exhibition, Tanya has also placed two separate outdoor installations of her sculptures for the public to see. A large driftwood cat has found a home at Kitsilano beach (at the corner of Whyte and Arbutus) and a 7ft tall driftwood ‘giant’ lives between Wreck and Oasis beaches (at the corner of NW Marine Drive and Agronomy Road). Each sculpture wears a dog tag chain with Tanya’s information, for those who would like to contact her to purchase a piece or inquire about a commission.

Having studied oil painting and ceramics at Emily Carr, Tanya did figurative work based on life drawings. Her understanding of anatomy is evident in the implied bone structure and musculature in her sculptures, suggested by the natural twists, curves, and colors of unaltered driftwood. 

Tanya strives to create a meaningful connection between people and nature. Her pieces depict living creatures and are crafted to connect with viewers by way of their postures, expression, and most notably their eyes. In this way, her art, made largely of natural materials, creates an emotional bridge between ourselves and our environment.

Collecting most of her driftwood near her home on the beaches of Dallas Road, Victoria, B.C., she selects pieces for their individual qualities. Creating an intricate web of interlocking pieces with wood glue allows her to combine small and large pieces seamlessly - so that form and surface, shape and texture, and negative and positive space are fully integrated.