A group of artists who were asked to express their feelings on life, aging and more in an artistic exhibit gathered at The Old Schools House (TOSH) on June 30 to launch the show at the Qualicum Beach arts centre.
Existential Elders is a unique and powerful exhibit featuring the work of 16 artists all over the age of 65.
Curated by Marci Katz it includes a wide range of different artistic mediums by artists from Vancouver Island, many from Parksville and Qualicum Beach.
There are paintings and carvings and even a coffin in the exhibit.
Katz agreed that although some pieces are edgy and deal with some heavy topics including confronting death, there are plenty of lighter pieces on display.
“There is also some humour in the show. As you get older you either laugh at all the things that old age brings or you cave in,” she admitted.
In her curators statement Katz who is also a maturing artist explains that artists are accustomed to living on the fringes of society, looking in.
“We are typically less conventional, more experimental, more critical of society and often poorer, less secure and more isolated than the average citizen.”
“Then suddenly we’re seniors, part of the fastest growing and most conservative demographic in the country. But we’re not typical seniors; we generally remain marginal and we don’t retire. We continue to work because making art has become our life and still defines us. We’ve become what I call cultural elders.”
She said the traditional role of elders in society is the sharing of wisdom with younger generations.
So what do the cultural elders have to say about the human condition, aging, the passage of time and their personal search for meaning in life?
Katz said the messages being expressed in the exhibit are clear.
“Invest in relationships, devote yourself to creative work and immerse yourself in it for the rest of your life. Carrying a creative passion into old age keeps the physical and emotional trials of aging in perspective and nourishes ones sense of meaning and purpose.
The exhibition was first presented last summer at the Nanaimo Art Gallery and then in Powell River in September 2014 and Katz said it was well received.
“Reaction from the public has been fantastic. I have not heard an adverse word. I think people are quite surprised at the level of energy and the level of power in some of this work. I don’t know if people expected little landscapes and rainbows but we are not that. We hope people are inspired and see that creative work keeps you young and you are never too old to do it.”
Katz agreed that artists are like fine wine … they get better with age and the group she assembled is proof of that.
“Most of us have been doing this for many decades and you have no compunction about saying what you think as you can see from some of the statements in the exhibit. They are pretty direct.”
The senior artists include: Donna Balma, Anna Banana, Bill Friesen, Famous Empty Sky, D.F. Gray, Tim Haley, Jeff Hartbower, Barbara Hutson, Marci Katz, Ursula Medley, Robert Moon, Sharon Urdahl, Ed Varney, Lynn Orriss, Joe Rosenblatt and Jo Swallow.
