[BCMA] [MEDIA RELEASE] Environmental art movement showcased through nine artists’ work

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

For Immediate Release


Environmental art movement showcased through nine artists’ work


Her Land: Perspectives in Eco-Art

February 8 to May 11, 2025

Kelowna Art Gallery



Annie Briard, Sherri Chaba, Dana Claxton,

Csetkwe Fortier, Joice M. Hall, Gwen MacGregor,

Monique Martin, Tara Nicholson, Lyndal Osborne



February 5, 2025 – Kelowna, BC: In recent years, some activists have resorted to targeting famous artworks like the Mona Lisa or Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers to draw attention to an environmental message. However, the nine artists featured in Her Land: Perspectives in Eco-Art have taken a different tack — their artworks speak for themselves. Through their work, they stimulate thought-provoking conversations and challenge audiences to consider the urgency of environmental issues and human relationships with the land. The exhibition runs from February 8 to May 11, 2025, at the Kelowna Art Gallery.



“The exhibition emphasizes the powerful role of women in shaping the narrative of Eco-Art and highlights their ability to propose transformative futures grounded in thoughtful stewardship of the earth,” says Christine May, Curator at the Kelowna Art Gallery. “Each artist brings a unique voice to the conversation and is using their creative practice to challenge, inspire, and envision a more sustainable and inclusive world.”



Through ephemeral and site-specific art installations, audiences will explore works created by Annie Briard, Sherri Chaba, Dana Claxton, Csetkwe Fortier, Joice M. Hall, Gwen MacGregor, Monique Martin, Tara Nicholson, and Lyndal Osborne. Although similar themes emerge, such as ecological sustainability, Indigenous land rights, and the intersectionality of environmental justice, the ways that visitors can experience the response to these issues differ greatly from artist to artist.



For example, Vancouver-based artist Annie Briard’s Infinite Retreat invites viewers to navigate towering, 12-foot-tall sculptures that merge photography and installation, creating an immersive experience that challenges the way we perceive reality.



Saskatoon-based artist Monique Martin’s Breathturn is an expansive installation that encourages viewers to remove their footwear before stepping onto five massive silkscreened and hand drawn floorcloths, which lie beneath tree branches suspended above that contain more than 12,000 silkscreened butterflies.

Paintings from the series Firestorm by West Kelowna-based artist Joice M. Hall may bring back memories that still feel recent. Although these meticulous oil paintings depict the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire (2003), they echo the wildfires that impacted our city and its residents in 2023. Hall’s beautiful and haunting works capture both the devastating impact of the fire and its aftermath.



Vancouver-based Dana Claxton is a critically acclaimed artist who works with film, video, photography, single/multi-channel video installation, and performance art. Dirt Worshipper is a powerful work that merges recorded performance with installation. The title, once a derogatory term coined in the late 1800s, is reappropriated by Claxton, transforming it from a symbol of marginalization into one of empowerment.



Penticton-based artist and ecological activist Tara Nicholson explores the climate crisis through the lens of “frozen life.” Viewers will be able to walk into an imitation permafrost freezer which has been constructed in the space where they can view photographs of seed banks and permafrost samples.



Through their work, Her Land: Perspectives in Eco-Art invites us to reconsider our place within the natural world and our responsibility to protect it for future generations.



An Opening Reception will be held on Friday, February 7, 2025, from 6 to 8 pm at the Kelowna Art Gallery. This event is free to attend.



An Exhibition Tour with the Artists will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 10 am, at the Kelowna Art Gallery. It is included with the cost of admission (free for Members).



Her Land: Perspectives in Eco-Art runs from February 8 to May 11, 2025. It is curated by Christine May.



The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street in the heart of Kelowna’s Culture District. For more information visit kelownaartgallery.com or call 250-762-2226.



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Image Credits



Annie Briard, Through Walls of Gold, 2024, inkjet print on silk. Courtesy of the artist.

Dana Claxton, Dirt Worshipper, 2015, ink on fabric. Courtesy of the artist.

Gwen MacGregor, Treelines - #13 (detail), 2024, photograph mounted on plexiglass. Courtesy of the artist.

Tara Nicholson, Permafrost Freezer Samples, Research Center, Whitehorse, Yukon, 2024, archival inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist

Monique Martin, Breathturn, 2024, silkscreen installation. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Photograph of artist Monique Martin working on a floorcloth for Breathturn, 2024.



Resources



           Many of the Artists will be at the Kelowna Art Gallery and available for interviews February 5-8th.

Exhibition Webpage: https://kelownaartgallery.com/her-land-perspectives-in-eco-art/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelownaartgallery



About the Kelowna Art Gallery



The Kelowna Art Gallery engages, inspires, and enriches the community it serves through the exhibition, collection, and interpretation of visual art. Work by Canadian artists, both historical and contemporary, are presented in five distinct exhibition spaces. The Kelowna Art Gallery is invested in the idea that art helps to bring people together; and that life is simply better with art in it. Programs for people of all ages and backgrounds help to instill confidence in ones’ creativity and to foster meaningful dialogue on matters important to Canadians.



For additional high-res images, or to arrange an interview please contact:



Joshua Desnoyers (he/him)

Marketing and Events Coordinator



Kelowna Art Gallery

1315 Water Street, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9R3

250-762-2226 ext. 305

josh at kelownaartgallery.com<mailto:josh at kelownaartgallery.com>

www.kelownaartgallery.com<http://www.kelownaartgallery.com>
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