Behind the Seen
June 26 – August 17
Artist reception Thursday July 18, 5 – 7pm
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” W.B. Yeats
Exhbition photo by Sage MacGillivary, Sculpture by Tanis Saxby
The summer exhibition at Parker Projects showcases five British Columbian artists who draw inspiration from their environment. With keen eyes and honed attention, these artists offer up visions of our world that penetrate beyond the merely seen, each work an enlivening antidote to the low-resolution viewpoint of our hurried lives.
Gillian Richards’ paintings unveil the mundane urban spaces she walks in her everyday life. Parking lots, roadways and public parks come to life on her canvases, their beauty revealed through an attentive gaze and a luminous palette.
Lisa Ochowycz’s paintings draw deeply on her contemplation of the symbiotic relationship between individual and environment. Issuing from this painterly practice, the resulting landscapes – wild, dramatic, and full of movement – convey visions of time spent amid sea, sky and mountain.
Cybele Ironside’s paintings are drawn from, and induce, quiet moments of reflection. While each painting begins with a particular place and memory, these origins are transcended. In these works we find ourselves between mind-state and landscape.
Kari Kristensen’s linocuts are striking in their restraint. Monochromatic and graphically abstracted, Kristensen’s mountainous landscapes are rich in depth and texture. In pushing the constraints of her medium to the edge, Kari creates works that highlight the interpretive role of the viewer.
In contrast to these larger vistas, the abstract porcelain sculptures of Tanis Saxby insinuate intimate natural forms, evoking the silvered wood, weathered bone, and surf-tumbled shells we discover in wild places.
Behind the Seen is an invitation to awaken our attention: to both the artworks shared, and our own daily environs.
Gallery Hours are Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 5pm,
and by appointment.
Parker Projects · 440-1000 Parker St. · Vancouver, BC