[BCMA] Richmond Art Gallery’s The Chromophiliacs packs a powerful and artistic antidote to rising global culture of fear

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Richmond Art Gallery’s The Chromophiliacs packs a powerful and artistic antidote to rising global culture of fear

Exhibition brings together 10 artists whose use of colour is central to their practice, drawing from non-European aesthetics, traditions, and forms

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DEC. 11, 2025 (VANCOUVER, BC) — Richmond Art Gallery presents a major new group exhibition, The Chromophiliacs, from Jan. 24–April 5, 2026, featuring major works by Diyan Achjadi, Moozhan Ahmadzadegan, Charlene Vickers, and Jan Wade, alongside new commissions by Maru Aponte, Sandeep Johal, Yaimel López Zaldívar, Laura Meza Orozco, Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo, and Malina Sintnicolaas. The exhibition’s title is a departure from David Batchelor’s book Chromophobia — a term created to describe the fear of colour in European and North American culture, evoking stylistic homogeneity and artistic monotony. This winter, 10 local and international artists resist conformity — and even contemporary manifestations of xenophobia – through their use of a diverse array of craft practices and cultural traditions that imbue the walls of Richmond Art Gallery with explosions of colour.

“Colourful works can be engaging and fun, but their deeper meanings can sometimes be overlooked,” says Richmond Art Gallery Curator Zoë Chan. “This exhibition aims to highlight the multifaceted dimensions of colour. The Chromophiliacs is hugely inspired by material practices — handwoven textiles like crochet and felt objects, and handmade books and prints — as well as non-Euroamerican aesthetics like Persian carpets, Caribbean tropical landscapes, and pre-Hispanic mythology. The artists use these visuals as starting points for artworks that embrace the politics of colour.”
Batchelor writes in Chromophobia, “Th(e) purging of colour is usually accomplished in one of two ways. In the first, colour is made out to be the property of some ‘foreign’ body — usually the feminine, the oriental, the primitive, the infantile, the vulgar, the queer or the pathological. In the second, colour is relegated to the realm of the superficial, the supplementary, the inessential or the cosmetic.” Chan argues that Batchelor’s words “feels especially pertinent today with the amplification of so-called ‘neutral’ hues in fashion, architecture, and interior design on social media, and the rise of white supremacist movements, where whiteness is equated with racial purity, to be protected at any cost.”

The Chromophiliacs offers a dynamic antidote to the tenets of chromophobia in its showcasing of colourful works that engage with a wide range of techniques, genres, and perspectives, both personal and political. Moozhan Ahmadzadegan’s Ruth Paul’s Drag Race Iran, for instance, playfully pastiches the colour-filled Persian miniatures to express a defiant message. With a critical eye, Ahmadzadegan references Iran’s laws — and many proposed laws in the US — banning drag performance and restricting LGBTQ2+ rights.

Working in a deeply personal vein is Malina Sintnicolaas, whose hyperbolic crocheted sculptures embody organic forms — manifestations, transmutations, or “petrifications” of emotions. Drawn to tactile materials and working with embodiment and emotional energy, her latest work The Red Queen articulates her relationship with experiences of depression, trauma, and anxiety.
Charlene Vickers’ series of felted “hybrid ovoids” — carefully cut, stitched, and beaded by hand — has been steadily growing since 2017. This delightful body of work explores and affirms her own identity as an Anishinaabkwe artist living in Vancouver, far from her traditional ancestral territories.

For The Chromophiliacs, the Gallery’s entrance will be transformed by a spectacularly futuristic title wall, designed and hang-painted by Yaimel López Zaldívar. A graduate of Havana’s Instituto Superior de Diseño, López Zaldívar brings a strong graphic sensibility and bold colour palette to his printmaking, paintings, illustrations, and animations. His experimental artist book Ciudad will also be featured in the exhibition.

Public programming
Visit the Gallery’s website and social media for the most up-to-date information on upcoming programs and registration. Scheduled events include:

Winter Exhibitions Launch: The Chromophiliacs & Tides Within<https://www.richmondartgallery.org/opening-chromophiliacs>
Saturday, January 24, 1–4pm
● Tides Within opening reception at The Annex Gallery: 1–2pm
● Richmond Art Gallery, Welcome Speeches and Tour: 2–3pm
● Opening Reception: 3–4 pm
Join several of the exhibiting artists along with curator Zoë Chan for an informal tour of The Chromophiliacs.

Family Day at the Richmond Art Gallery<https://www.richmondartgallery.org/family-day-2026>
Monday, February 16, 10am–4pm
● Paper-Making with Guest Artist Maru Aponte: 12–4pm
● Family Art Tours: 10am–4pm
Drop in to the Richmond Cultural Centre and Annex for the Richmond Children’s Arts Festival during BC Family Day. The Richmond Art Gallery will be hosting a free drop-in art activity and exhibition tours for all ages throughout the day. Exhibiting artist Maru Aponte will demonstrate paper-making techniques for you to try out, with finished works to be on display in the gallery lounge for the remainder of the exhibition. Free Drop-in. More info: childrensartsfestival.ca.

Exhibition Tour in Mandarin<https://www.richmondartgallery.org/mandarin_chromophilacs>
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2–3pm Drop in for a tour of the current Richmond Art Gallery exhibition in Mandarin. Learn more about the themes of the exhibition through a guided visit and informal discussion over a cup of tea. Limited spaces, RSVP to reserve a seat: https://www.richmondartgallery.org/upcoming-events.

國語導覽<https://www.richmondartgallery.org/mandarin_chromophilacs>
2月21日，星期六，下午2-3點

歡迎參加列治文美術館當前展覽的國語導覽！通過導覽與輕鬆的對話更多地了解展覽主題。提供茶水，位置有限，請前往以下網址預約：https://www.richmondartgallery.org/upcoming-events.

Artist Talk & Workshop with Charlene Vickers<https://www.richmondartgallery.org/salon-vickers>
Saturday, Feb. 28, 1–3pm
Join artist Charlene Vickers as she shares insights into her multidisciplinary art practice. After the talk, take part in a hands-on mixed-media painting workshop that incorporates sewing and beading. Limited spaces. $5 registration fee includes all materials.


About Richmond Art Gallery
Richmond Art Gallery (RAG) is a non-profit municipal art gallery established in 1980. The Gallery produces an array of exhibitions and programs that connect, empower, and provoke conversation with our diverse Richmond, BC communities. RAG actively contributes to Richmond’s cultural communities through our commitment to supporting artists via its exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and permanent collection.

Address
Richmond Art Gallery
Richmond Cultural Centre
7700 Minoru Gate Richmond, BC V6Y 1R8

Hours
Monday–Friday from 10am–6pm
Saturday–Sunday from 12–5pm

Press kit and photos: Click here<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PiLYPrNQ1TYAlnKi1nhtL5dp8ACqp8QA>

Press contact
Ines Min
604 440 0791
ines at inesmin.com<mailto:ines at inesmin.com>

Image credit: Malina Sintnicolaas, Always Growing, Never Healing, 2021, hyperbolic crocheted wool, velvet, ceramics, fabric, 254 x 220.98 x 101.6 cm, Photo: Dennis Ha


[HeronEmail]<http://www.richmond.ca/>

Brittney Groetelaars | Exhibition & Gallery Coordinator
She/Her
Parks, Recreation and Culture
T: (604) 247-8312 | E: bgroetelaars at richmond.ca<mailto:bgroetelaars at richmond.ca>
City of Richmond | http://www.richmond.ca/<http://www.richmond.ca/>



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