SJIMA: Opening September 3 With 2 New Exhibits

Deon Venter – David Barrowman photo

Missing / Highway of Tears – The highway refers to a short stretch of Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George, where 18 girls, almost all Aboriginal, were murdered. On the piece of highway from Vancouver to Edmonton RCMP records show that over 200 people have disappeared on this route.

The Highway of Tears is an installation of individual portraits alternating with flower paintings, and was inspired by two poems of the Pulitzer Prize winning American poet Mary Oliver, entitled “Goldenrod” and “Peonies”. These nature poems form a potent metaphor for the young lives lost.

As tragic as the deaths of these women are, united in their circumstances, their legacy is a powerful and collective voice and this is the intended empowerment Venter brings to the paintings in the Missing Series. Venter states, “I hope my paintings achieve some type of memorial, awareness and resolution in converting the subject into life affirming art.” (September 3 – December 7)

Samuel Stubblefield – Contributed photo

Space, Muses, Etc. – Curious pieces from Stubblefield’s workshop, Space, Muses, Etc. is a focus on methods, materials, and processes within the studio. The intention is to broaden the viewer’s definition of art and encourage self-provocation and active pursuit of the personal curiosity inside us all.

The exhibition pulls from recent work on display at the European Cultural Centre in Venice, Italy, during the 2019 Biennale, The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Basel Miami, and in-progress work from the artists Seattle and Hong Kong studios.

Stubblefield is known for a collaborative, anti-disciplinary approach, merging unusual materials and situations such as plants, boats, computer vision, earthquakes, the internet, jellyfish, real-time danta from nature, miles of bungee cord, mixed-reality technology, urban conditions, projected video, oceans, robotics, natural landscapes, and software algorithms. 

Samuel will be scheduling a gallery walk during the exhibition. (September 3 – December 7)

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