Tropicana, Juan Ortiz-Apuy
August 1st – November 9th, 2024
Touring exhibition produced by VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine
When confronting the environmental crisis, in which unbridled production of goods is threatening the diversity of the natural world, it’s essential that we take an interest in how things are displayed, commercialized and consumed, whether in brick-and-mortar store windows or online.
This youth exhibition, specially designed for kids and teenagers aged 6 to 14, casts a critical eye on modern consumer society and advertising aimed at children, which often features animals, colours, sounds and shapes designed to appeal to them. For the occasion, Montreal-based Costa Rican artist Juan Ortiz-Apuy has created a visual and sound environment allowing visitors to explore the language of advertising and its ability to act on us, in sometimes unexpected ways. The artist based his research on new marketing strategies that have emerged in the social media era, i.e., the phenomenon of “unboxing” and ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos. A genuine foray into the world of objects, this exhibition seeks to examine the way we consume today—always with a touch of humour—to better understand its future impacts.
The exhibition Tropicana was produced by VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine with financial support from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
Photos courtesy of VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine
Processes of Remediation: art, relationships, nature
Alana Bartol
Curated by Jenelle Pasiechnik
March 23 to July 13, 2024
Processes of Remediation: art, relationships, nature is a multi-part, multi-site project by artist Alana Bartol that engages the past, present, and possible future of coal mining in the areas of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta and North Vancouver Island. With this iteration, Bartol has expanded the project to examine mining practices and the environmental consequences of mining operations near Campbell River, BC – specifically focussing on the site of the Quinsam Coal Mine. Processes of Remediation: art, relationships, nature examines the impacts of coal mining on wildlife, watersheds, ecosystems, and plants. The site-responsive artworks include drawing, video, sculpture, participatory art, and installation. The majority of the artworks center around the Crowsnest Pass in Southern Alberta, but take on new meaning and relevance in relation to mining practices in the Strathcona Regional District. This work is informed by consultation with Traditional Knowledge Keepers Cory Cliffe (Wei Wai Kum First Nation) and Vanessa Sharkey (Swampy Cree First Nation).
In a time of climate and ecological crisis, when we have choices to make about protecting wildlife, lands and watersheds, how can we envision and help secure a future for this place where the coal stays inside the earth? How do we imagine ways forward that are not predicated on the continued destruction of the environment rooted in resource extraction and ongoing settler colonial violence? How can art play a role in this process? -Alana Bartol
Processes of Remediation explores these questions through the concept of environmental remediation. The majority of the artworks that resulted center around areas in the Crowsnest Pass in Southern Alberta, but take on new meaning and relevance in relation to mining practices in the Strathcona Regional District.
The project draws on Alana Bartol’s work with dowsing (the artist comes from a long line of water witches) and the history of dowsing in connection to mining/resource extraction. Specifically, she has researched Martine de Bertereau, one of the first (recognized) female mineralogists and mining engineers in 17th century France who traveled Europe in search of mineral deposits utilizing specialized divining instruments and other techniques including botany. She was accused of witchcraft and died in France while in prison. The story of de Bertereau is a complex one that points to the violence of resource extraction and the development of capitalism that she both participated in and was killed by. Alana Bartol employs dowsing and the figure of the witch in her artwork to ask us to reconsider consumption-driven relationships to the earth and what are known as ‘natural resources.’
42nd Annual Members’ Show
Presented by the Campbell River Art Gallery and the Campbell River Arts Council
January 13th to March 9th, 2024
A long standing tradition of collaboration has come again this year to Campbell River. This will be the 42nd Annual Members’ Show, showcasing a diversity of artists in our community.
“The Member’s Show continues to be the primary focal point for showcasing the amazing creativity and diversity of talent that lives in our community.” says Ken Blackburn, Executive Director of the Campbell River Arts Council. “It is also a snapshot of the strength and health of our cultural sector. The Member’s Show is a true asset for Campbell River and after 41 years we are still going strong!”
Enjoy the work of artists from the North Island and the Campbell River area as they display, never-before-shown work created in the last three years. A time honoured tradition, the exhibition dates back even before the CRAG became the city’s public gallery.
Sara Lopez Assu, Executive Director of the Campbell River Art Gallery comments, “It’s always an honour to showcase local talent, and the Annual Members’ Show never disappoints. We’re so grateful for all the community support and look forward to hosting this beloved event for its 42nd year!”
The exhibition will also feature programming that extends artistic practice in our community from Life Drawing classes to an in person Critique as well as a Members’ Exclusive Tea & Talk that delves further into the curation and works that are hung in the show.
The 42nd Annual Members’ Show, presented by the Campbell River Art Gallery and the Campbell River Arts Council will be held at the gallery between January 13th until March 8th.
Satellite Gallery
Our satellite gallery is an exhibition space located in the lobby of the Campbell River Art Gallery and Visitors Centre. Four large showcases are devoted to contemporary artwork.
Water’s Generosity By Angelika Forray & Marlee Munro
Curated by Zara GordonDecember 8th, 2023 to March 9th, 2024
From the land, to the sea, and to the sky, Water’s Generosity explores our reverence for the gifts of water through sculpture, painting, video, and sound. Artists Angelika Forray and Marlee Munro address the relationship between human and water and the role that it plays in our lives. How we depend on water and its abundance for our survival. Its innate ability to transmute anything it touches. Water is a fundamental element of all life. The collective feeling of relief during the first rainfall after a long drought. The blessings of the harvest that water gives us for cultivating its essence. As it ebbs and flows, so do we.
The Body Politic
Shar Soroosh, Jackson Bailey and Khadijah Morley
August 10th to December 21st, 2024
Curated by Nadine Bariteau
This exhibition The Body Politic showcases the voices of three Toronto-based, emerging, Canadian Artists, all of whom were once students of Nadine Bariteau in the Printmaking and Publication Department at the Ontario College of Art and Design University.
During that period, a favorite assignment of Bariteau was to teach about the history of posters and their political impact, and then assign students to create work that mattered to them. The outcome was powerful and profound.
The Body Politic explores themes of personal identity, gender, and the body. Shar Soroosh (she/her), an Iranian Canadian artist; Jackson Bailey (they/them), a transgender non-binary artist; and Khadijah Morley (she/her), a first-generation Jamaican Canadian artist. Nadine Bariteau has also included an artwork from her personal collection. Thanks to Paz Pereira for her poster My Body My Choice. Each artist asserts their own narratives and choices through the artwork presented. It is not the right of anyone to speak someone else’s truth.
Our political identities are shaped not only by familial and social influences, but also by the historical context, culture, political systems, and generational experiences that surround us. These influences collectively shape our personalities. Today, the body has become a battleground for complex societal debates—a tool used to gain political leverage at the expense of minority and marginalized communities. This is not a new phenomenon; historically, it has affected Indigenous peoples, Black communities, people of colour, women, and currently, those seeking gender affirmation.
This exhibition serves as a reminder that asserting our own identity, gender, and bodily autonomy is a powerful political act. However, it is crucial that our identities are not co-opted and exploited for political gain to stigmatize members of our communities.
Artworks from Shar Soroosh, Jackson Bailey (totes and handkerchiefs) and Khadijah Morley are for sale, please email for inquiries:
Jenelle Pasiechnik
Curator of Contemporary Art
curator@crartgallery.ca