Surrey Art Gallery’s summer shows open Friday (June 29) with an evening celebration. The public is welcome to attend, starting at 6:30 p.m., and admission is free.
The new exhibits include “Arts 2018,” an annual juried showcase of diverse works by 60 local artists.
Also new to the Bear Creek Park facility is “Land Songs, Water Songs / Chants de terre, Chants d’eau,” a multimedia installation by artists Peter Morin, Marie Côté and Ziya Tabassian.
Friday’s opening event at SAG will also include a one-night display of public art designs by artists from Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations.
The juried “Arts 2018” show, a longstanding collaboration between the Arts Council of Surrey and Surrey Art Gallery, allows artists of all ages and backgrounds “to share their creative labours with the world at large in a professionally hung show,” according to gallery operators.
Both first-time entrants and established artists receive an opportunity for public exposure and award commendation from a panel of professional jurors.
Showcased are paintings, sculptures, mixed-media collages, textiles, photography and video art.
“We recognize that ‘Arts 2018′ generates awareness of local artists’ work, and often plays an important role in emerging artists’ professional development,” noted Rhys Edwards, SAG’s assistant curator. “We received a very large volume of entrants this year and were highly impressed by the experimentation and skill that so many of the works demonstrated.”
Viewers of “Arts 2018” are invited to vote for the People’s Choice Award, to be announced at the end of the exhibition in September.
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Meanwhile, in the “Land Songs, Water Songs” show, the three featured artists use visual art and performance “to address the history of colonization to clear a path for new relationships.”
Marie Côté’s artwork “responds to the water crisis on Indigenous reserves across Canada—and specifically Semiahmoo First Nation locally that she visited last fall—by creating a waterfall of clay (sourced from Semiahmoo territory) that runs down the gallery wall, the drippings catching in the ceramic channels,” explained Charlene Back, SAG’s communications co-ordinator.
“When you visit, you’ll see the dried clay with marks of where the water once flowed, highlighting its absence. This immersive installation includes a video of water drumming by musician Ziya Tabassian and hand-made drums by Peter Morin with Marie Côté.”
This summer, the Gallery’s TechLab will be home to an Indigenous Contemporary Art Intensive, a pilot program engaging mentoring artists with Indigenous and newcomer youth. The studio will be “transformed into an active production space for ideas, learning, and artworks,” according to an event advisory.
Surrey Art Gallery is located at 13750 88th Ave. For hours and more exhibition details, visit surrey.ca/artgallery.
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