Sandra Meigs: Reverie
October 18, 2002 - October 18, 2002Reverie presents two painting installations by artist Sandra Meigs which incorporate the activities of journey, storytelling and fascination.
The Newborn (2001) was created after a trip the artist took to Boat Basin Farm, located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in Clayoquot Sound. Also known as Cougar Annie’s Garden, the farm is named for Ada-Annie Rae-Arthur, who settled in this isolated location in 1915. The garden served as a point of inspiration for Meigs, who drew on the powerful visual and imaginative lure of the setting. Through an installation of lighted paintings and poetic texts, The Newborn recounts the story of a child lost in the woods.
Swoon (2002), Meigs most recent work, was inspired by the artist’s travels to the Florida Everglades, where she encountered both the isolated communities neighbouring the site, and issues of ecology and folklore which surround this potent location. Employing minimal forms and a muted palette, Swoon offers the arresting images of animate forest scenes, such as those encountered by a newcomer or a child. A parallel text recounts the story of a young woman who lives in the Everglades, her desire, her burdens, and her social and psychic ties to place.
Sandra Meigs is a painter, filmmaker and writer. She has lived in Victoria since 1993, where she is Professor of Visual Arts at the University of Victoria. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Banff Centre, Ydessa Hendeles Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada. This is her first major solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.