The human body is the theme 20 artists explored for the current exhibition at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.
This year’s Fraser Valley Biennial show, which is on display in the O’Connor Group Art Gallery from Nov. 2 to Dec. 2, has been aptly titled The Body. It is organized by The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford and guest-curated by Candace Couse.
The artwork carefully selected for the show is “outstanding,” said Couse who’s an assistant professor of visual art at the University of the Fraser Valley’s School of Creative Arts.
“The works represent the diverse and deeply meaningful ways we think about the body, exploring illness, gender, sexuality and disability narratives, the body as an organism, the body’s relationship to technology, the labouring body, the body as a site for pain and pleasure, and more. The exhibition speaks to the power of the body.”
It showcases works of art produced over the past two years by 20 Fraser Valley artists that focus on the human body and its relationship to countless aspects of the corporeal, sensorial, psychological, and intellectual human experience. The show explores the body as a profound source of knowledge, transformation, and artistic expression.
Each piece tells a unique story, challenging traditional understandings and captivating audiences with its depth and complexity.
“The body, as a subject, has reached heightened importance in contemporary art practice,” Couse said. “One can argue that historically the body often has been taken too lightly.”
It’s not until recently that ‘the body’ is “recontextualized as ‘embodiment,’ where lived, sensual experience becomes a preeminent site for knowledge,” she added.
Featured in the show are works by Sarah Louise Brammer, Olivia de Fleuriot Perry, Amy Dyck, Michael Doerksen, Kat Grabowski, Paula Funk, Davida Kidd, Lorena Krause, Russell Leng, Luke Pardy, Amberlie Perkin, Cobi Timmermans, Devon Riley, Laura Rosengren, Jennifer Shepit, Tracie Stewart, Erica Grimm, Ellen Scobie, Shel Stefan, and Qahraman Yousif.
The Biennial is the Fraser Valley’s premier regional group exhibition and is co-ordinated every two years by The Reach Gallery Museum.
It is first presented in its entirety at The Reach and then a regional tour of the exhibition follows where staff from other galleries help curate versions of the exhibition to suit the character and scale of each tour venue. It was on display earlier this year in Aldergrove at the Langley Arts Council, Harrison Hot Springs at the Ranger Station Art Gallery, and at the Kariton Art Gallery in Abbotsford. The Chilliwack installation is the final location.
Fraser Valley Biennial exhibition ‘The Body’ runs Nov. 2 to Dec. 2 at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. The opening reception is set for Saturday, Nov. 4 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., plus some evenings when there is an event at the centre. Admission is free.
For more info on the show, go to thereach.ca/exhibition/2023-fraser-valley-biennial.
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