June 23 – July 9, 2022
The Main and Art Incubator Galleries
Canada is said to be defined by its geography. More specifically, that geography has been mediated through the tradition of landscape painting that reflects the relationship between landscape art and understandings of territory. These two concepts work together to demonstrate an evolving awareness of the cultural importance of these spaces. Canadian landscape artists create art that is as varied and astounding as Canada’s landscape itself. The rain forests and snowcapped peaks of the majestic Rockies of the west, the rolling fields of the prairies, or the crisp boreal leaves of the east. This art is truly Canadian.
The exhibition’s title references the context of how Canadians regard their physical proximity to a psychological distance of time and space, personal history, and to the land they inhabit. Canada as a country of Indigenous People and immigrants sets up a possibility for artists to re-evaluate their surroundings anew, and to re-interpret their relationships with the land and its inhabitants, Indigenous culture, and with their own cultural heritage.
The exhibition “Land as Muse” presents the multi-dimensional voices of our artists through the artistic debate on their individual relationships with and interpretation of the land, its fragile ecosystem, its inhabitants, and on Canada’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. Their powerful and compelling works – in the variety of styles and media – offer the viewers critical insights into what artists reveal individually and collectively about the country in general and the land in particular. This project brings people together through art, inviting us to examine complex environmental, humanist, and national issues, to seek understanding and change through dialogue, and to deepen our connection to the land.
The exhibition “Land as Muse: Contemporary Art Concepts from Edmonton” doubles as a fundraiser for Harcourt House Artist Run Centre. 30% of each artwork sold will support Harcourt’s art exhibitions and art education programs.
This exhibition project is presented in conjunction with the 35th Anniversary of Where Edmonton Community Artists Network (W.E.C.A.N.) Society and the 2022 THE WORKS Art + Design Festival.
Curated by: Asal Andarzipour, Darren Kooyman, Jacek Malec
Top Image: Deann Stein Hasinoff: Rescind II (detail), 2022, digitally modified photograph, 1/1, 24×18 inch
Courtesy of the artist
Presenting Partners:
