Surrey Art Gallery highlights ancestral connections in remember the earth, remember the sky, launching January 17
On to March 22, group exhibition pairs pieces by early-career artists connected to Surrey with works by Salish artists
SPONSORED POST BY Surrey Art Gallery
Nicole Avanrenren’s Land (Soft Power), 2024, mixed media. Photo courtesy of the artist
Surrey Art Gallery is presenting the group exhibition remember the earth, remember the sky, on view from January 17 to March 22. Admission is free.
Growing from the 2023 exhibition Invisible Fish and inspired by the Joy Harjo poem “Remember”, remember the earth, remember the sky focuses on ancestral connections through land, air, and memory as experienced and understood by early-career artists connected to Surrey and in conversation with works by Salish artists that are from the Surrey Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
Using an array of mediums, including painting, digital art, sound, sculptural installation, ceramic, and natural materials, the artists reflect on themes connected to place and environment, family history and ceremonies, migration and diasporic identities, and spirituality. This exhibition also includes hands-on experiences with art, including an interactive sculpture that visitors can contribute to, weekly piñata-breaking referencing its history of celebration and ritual, a collaborative playlist where one can dedicate a song to their ancestors, and more.
Curator Alanna Edwards drew inspiration from her work with the Surrey Art Gallery’s school program Sharing Perspectives: Indigenous Contemporary Art Workshop for the exhibition. “I hope all who visit, no matter their age, can come and ground themselves by remembering their ancestors, their connection to place, and their journey,” she shared in a release.
Laura Wee Láy Láq’s Olla, 2017, ceramic. Photo by SITE Photography
Also launching on January 17 is Zachery Cameron Longboy: HOST, a solo exhibition and video installation on the multi-faceted meaning of host and hosting in relation to one’s bodily experiences, as well as a solo exhibition by Atheana Picha which includes a hand-woven Salish blanket. Both were curated by Edwards.
An opening art party called How We Connect will kick off the season on January 17. The evening will begin with a conversation between exhibiting artist Picha and curator Edwards, as well as a celebratory piñata breaking by exhibiting artist Francisco Berlanga. Throughout the night, there will be artmaking opportunities, including felt embroidery with saga shop artist Midori Ueno, and a poetry collage workshop with exhibiting artist Chuck MeInychuk. Shortly after, MeInychuk will give an artist talk alongside Mike McNeeley and Sandrine Umuhoza from the exhibition What Bodies Know.
More details are available here.
Post sponsored by Surrey Art Gallery.
Francisco Berlanga’s Estrella, 2024, piñata. Photo courtesy of the artist
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