Sword of the Samurai

Samurai, the famous warriors of ancient Japan, live by a strict code of honour known as bushido which dealt with their moral and intellectual obligations as civil rulers. The most important ideals of the samurai were personal loyalty to one?s lord and martial bravery.

It has been said that the ?sword is the soul of the…

Propaganda, Advertising & Graphic Arts in 20th Century China

This exhibition includes all sorts of graphic materials made in China during the 20th century: woodblock prints, propaganda posters, advertising posters, firework labels, joss paper, decorative wrapping paper and New Year?s Eve prints which were hung every year for good luck.

The wood block prints show the influence of the old Soviet Union?s socialist realism: the…

Ivan Eyre Conspectus: Myth, Memory and the Studio Paintings from 1956 ? 1998

Ivan Eyre is one of Canada?s most important visual artists of his generation. This exhibition features 28 of his paintings produced over the duration of his career that now spans more than 40 years. The astonishing paintings of this highly-acclaimed Canadian artist investigate the richness of the subconscious.

The paintings on display are the result of…

Drawings by Mimmo Paladino Inspired by the Poetry of P.K. Page

The poems of P.K. Page have been an inspiration and delight for many decades. Page, who lives in Victoria, played an instrumental role in the modernist movement and is one of Canada’s leading literary figures. Her poetry moves seamlessly from the material world to the immaterial. She has served as inspiration to artists like Mimmo…

The Art of Printmaking

One of the most obvious attractions of prints is that there are so many of them. The printmaker invests time and skill in making a wood block or an engraved copper plate so that many impressions can be taken from it. The more impressions the greater the profit from the initial investment of time and…

POV: Contemporary Chinese Landscapes

Of all the genres in Chinese painting, landscape ? which formed its nucleus during the last fifteen hundred years ? was the most popular. All the skill which the European artists developed to portraiture and to the depiction of human figures, the Chinese have given to their passionate love of painting nature in their landscapes.

The…

Performing Generations: Classic and Contemporary Performative Video

This exhibition is an excellent introduction to contemporary video art. Over the course of eight weeks, a series of four different thematic screenings pair a work by a contemporary video artist with a classic work from the 70s.

The Art of Sophie Pemberton

Sophie Pemberton worked in oils and concentrated on portraiture in an age when young ladies of society were supposed to do nothing more than dabble in watercolour landscapes.

Her interest in painting developed early and, at the ager of twelve, her work was being publicly exhibited. Overcoming her parents reservations, she enrolled in the Slade School….

Chinese Tomb Figurines

Since ancient times, the Chinese have believed souls in tomb chambers have the same needs in the afterlife as they do in this world. Ceramic tomb figurines were placed in ancient Chinese grave chambers to serve as surrogate companions and servants for the master in the next life. The statues offer unrivalled material for the study of daily life from various dynasties throughout China’s long history. These clay figures reveal the different classes of people, their costumes, hairstyles, armour, musical instruments, dances, animals, mythical creatures, architectural models and funerary furniture and utensils.

The exhibition features funerary items from the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), North Wei dynasty (386 – 534), Tang dynasty (618– 906), Song dynasty (960 – 1279), and Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644). Objects include male and female attendants, dancers, musicians, warriors, a retinue of Song period officials, a set of Tang Zodiac figures and examples of early architectural models.