Refined Tastes: The Literati of China & Japan

Join us for an exploration of the history, relationship, similarities and differences between the Chinese literati class and their Japanese counterparts. The Chinese literati were educated amateur artists who, although they were usually government officials by occupation, sought refuge from their day jobs through cultured hobbies like painting, calligraphy, poetry and music. From the 12th to the early 20th century, acquiring beautiful artifacts from antiquity became a way of life for this group whose paintings were universally admired for their simple and elegant brushstrokes. The 18th and 19th century Japanese artists who created literati paintings took their inspiration from the scholar-painters of China but, in typical Japanese fashion, transmuted what they had learned from Chinese painting into a new and distinctive form of art. Refined Tastes will include Chinese and Japanese literati paintings and calligraphy as well as the examples of decorative arts which might be found in their home.

The LAB 2.0: Retailienation

Retailienation is a show that seeks to address, in terms both critical and humurous, the role that the gift shop plays in the public gallery. These ubiquitous commercial zones, which are important revenue generators, occupy both a central place and sometimes uneasy relationship within the scholarly institutions they serve. Operating below the radar of most…

Japanese Ceramics

Japan has become the foremost producer of ceramic art in the world and is one of the few countries where ceramics are not treated as a craft but a fine art, receiving just as much recognition as painting, sculpture and architecture. This exhibition traces the development of modern Japanese ceramic art through 65 pieces by 55 artists on the cutting edge of Japanese ceramics, some of whom have been classified as “Living National Treasures.” This outstanding exhibition comes to the Art Gallery courtesy of the Consulate General of Japan.

Contours: Extended Painting in the Pacific Northwest

The shared history of the Seattle and Victoria art communities is a productive one, and can be traced back to the solo Seattle artist exhibitions mounted by former Art Gallery director Colin Graham in the 1970s. Seattle Now, a major group exhibition, curated by Greg Bellerby in 1984, revisited Graham’s efforts to examine the eclectic and dynamic visual arts south of the border. CONTOURS, co-curated by Matthew Kangas (Seattle) and Lisa Baldissera (Victoria), takes this model one step further, examining contemporary art production in both cities.

“Despite reports of premature death, painting not only continues to live in Seattle and Victoria, it is thriving.” states Kangas. “Part of its rehabilitation, however has meant artists seek strategies for extending the limits and parameters of painting: beyond the rectangle; beyond paint; beyond the wall.”

CONTOURS is characterized by inventive uses of materials and processes, coupled with ironic twists of painting languages. The exhibition features the works of Isabel Kahn, Jesse Paul Miller, Susan Dory, Mark Takamichi Miller and Patrick Holderfield from Seattle and Jeremy Borsos, Stephanie Aitken, Caroline James, Brian G. White and Tom Burrows from Victoria. The artists refer to the rich history of painting to invent new forms and display their confidence in the medium – and its future – along the way.

From Geisha to Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru

The Art Gallery has just received a wonderful donation of kimonos worn by the geisha, Ichimaru, one of Japan’s greatest classical folk singers.

Ichimaru was born into a poor family and became a geisha in the 1920s and early 30s. She gained a reputation as an elegant and beautiful geisha who possessed a “nightingale-like voice”. She signed a recording contract with RCA Victor Records and expanded her popularity internationally, performing in beautiful and intricate kimonos from the 1930s to the 1970s.

The kimonos on display in From Geisha to Diva are preserved in pristine condition and provide excellent examples of the types of costumes she would have worn as a geisha during her career, showing different styles and decorations from this time. The exhibition will also include albums, souvenirs and memorabilia, as well as prints of Ichimaru and other woodblock prints illustrating the life of a geisha. An exhibition catalogue will be available.

Emily Carr From the Collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Victoria is home to Emily Carr, one of Canada’s best known and most beloved artists. The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is a great place to explore Carr’s art and writings through an exhibition drawn from our permanent collection.

Carr studied in San Francisco, London, and Paris where she received solid classical training and an exposure…

Splendour of Chinese Textiles

One of the greatest achievements of China in world culture is the production of silk fabric from silkworms. This fabric is often beautifully embroidered and richly decorated and has been used in the costumes of royalty and the nobility. Splendour of Chinese Textiles showcases the rich heritage of costumes and textiles from the Chinese Qing dynasty from the Gallery’s collection.

spilled edge soft corners

spilled edge soft corners takes an oblique look at the current state of abstraction in painting by presenting artists who extend the strict definition of painting as a rectangular stretched canvas. Although some make reference to the traditional grid, all the works in the exhibition begin with the end of the stretcher.

At the point where canvas, cloth, paint and even objects of representation become discombobulated material, painting reemerges in frayed folds, tight knots, wound up bundles or blown-up piles. Many of the works evoke a sense of physicality, like “falling apart”, “hanging by a thread”, “wound up” or “hanging loose”.

This exhibition features the works of eight Canadian and American artists: Polly Apfelbaum (New York), Francois-Marie Bertrand (Chicoutimi), Eric Cameron (Calgary), Jessica Stockholder (New York) and Robert Youds (Victoria). These not-so-painting-like paintings unsettle the categories of both abstraction and representation in painting.

Decades: Part II Cold War / Hot Abstractions The Art of the 50s

The second exhibition of our four part series profiling works from our permanent collection produced in each decade and demonstrating a relationship between art, its time and history. Watch for related events with each decade that delve into other art disciplines, like music, film, literature and dance, to investigate the interrelationships in the arts during these eras.