Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
22 March 2022 Vol 7 No 6 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2022
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
Although Galleries West primarily covers artists and exhibitions in Western Canada, we sometimes broaden our scope to shows elsewhere in Canada. Typically, these have a Western angle – often an artist with roots here. But lately, we’ve been straying further afield.
In this issue, for instance, we cover two shows in Central Canada. One, in Montreal, is by Vancouver artist Stan Douglas, who will represent Canada at the Venice Biennale with work that compares two notable years in history – 2011 and 1848. His Montreal exhibition features the Canadian premiere of a photo series that reimagines historical moments at New York City’s old Penn Station. The other show we are covering is in Toronto and features work by Tazeen Qayyum, a Pakistani-Canadian artist. She appears to have no Western Canadian connection, but her spiritually infused work about peace seems a good fit for these troubled times.
One reason for this less insular drift is the vacuum created by the closure last fall of Canadian Art magazine. While newspapers and other media outlets continue to publish occasional arts stories, ongoing cutbacks and downsizing have vastly reduced cultural coverage in Canada. And while a handful of publications that deal specifically with the visual arts remain, they often focus on relatively narrow niches. So, here at Galleries West, we want to do what we can to foster wider awareness about artists and exhibitions, as well as cultural news and issues.
Another reason you are seeing more stories from elsewhere in Canada is due to the pandemic. Collectively, galleries in the West are still organizing fewer exhibitions than before COVID-19, which means I often scramble to fill our six biweekly editorial slots with artists we haven’t covered recently, people who make interesting work and have something to say. Sometimes a timely pitch from further afield is hard to resist.
At the same time, Galleries West is developing an increasingly international feel as many diasporic artists tackle issues related to their experiences – or that of their families – in other places around the world. This, increasingly, is the reality of Canada, fuelled by generations of immigration, and many galleries have stepped up during the pandemic to increase the diversity of the artists they exhibit.
Editing in this climate is no small undertaking. For this issue, I found myself spell-checking Urdu titles and trying to decipher a chat in Amharic using an online translator. It’s also an ongoing challenge, particularly as the descendent of European refugees, to ensure a high level of cultural respect and sensitivity to both the original inhabitants of Turtle Island and the diverse populations that have moved here. I continue to learn as I go, with more lessons waiting, and always welcome your thoughts on how to improve our coverage.
In this issue of Galleries West, we have an important story by Ottawa arts writer Melanie Scott about the accounting that cultural institutions are facing in regard to items in their collections from the early colonial era. Scott focuses this vast topic through the lens of University of Victoria professor Carey Newman and the fascinating story of his Kwakwak’awakw family’s mask, held by a Berlin museum.
We also focus on Mohawk artist Shelley Niro’s challenge to racist stereotypes, Eritrean-born Dawit L. Petros’ layered reflections on the colonial history of East Africa, and Kelly Richardson’s compelling use of computer-generated imagery in dystopic depictions of the planet’s future.
Looking ahead, we are working on reviews of two Vancouver group exhibitions, one about clouds, and the other on Artificial Intelligence, as well as photo-based shows in Calgary by Michelle Bui and Dona Schwartz.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Lauren Fournier, Edwin Janzen, Sandee Moore, Lyn Richards, Melanie Scott, Hagere Selam "Shimby" Zegeye-Gebrehiwot
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Special Measures for Journalism Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
