Current Exhibitions
in the main gallery…
Shamans and Superheroes
Jordan Bennett
Exhibition Dates
June 6th – 22nd, 2013
Opening Reception June 6th, 7–9pm
Artist Statement
This exhibition features new work created by Jordan Bennett during his time as the University of Alberta’s Inaugural Indigenous Artist in Residence. Works include a collection of in progress paintings based on halftone prints from a 1985 Iron Man comic and his encounter with Indigenous Superhero Shaman in Sarcee, AB. The paintings explore printing and painting techniques of the pop art era, and reference both popular culture and the current political issues and events in Canadian Indigenous culture. Other works include a series of text and textile works exploring notions of artifact, tradition, and historical significance.
Bio
Jordan Bennett is a multi-disciplinary visual artist of Mi’kmaq decent from the west coast of Newfoundland. He currently calls Edmonton, AB home where he is the first Indigenous Artist in Residence at the University of Alberta. Jordan has shown extensively over the past few years across Canada and abroad, in places such as The Museum of Art and Design, New York City, NY, Ottawa Art Gallery,Ottawa ON, Modern Fuel Artist Run Centre, Kingston ON, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, St. Johns NL, The Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver BC, the Alternator Artist Run Centre, Kelowna BC amongst many others. His work is derived from a combination of popular and traditional cultural reflections, which he portrays through his passion for and knowledge of pop culture, new media, traditional craft, political issues, and his own cultural practices. Through the processes of sculpture, digital media, text based media, installation, painting, endurance performance and various others, he strives to push boundaries and play with the ideas of re-appropriation, reclamation, participation and the artifact within traditional aboriginal craft, ceremony, and contemporary culture.
in the community gallery…
A Glimpse into the World of Neon Kohkom
Exhibition Dates
June 6th – 22nd, 2013
Opening Reception June 6th, 7–9pm
Bio
Neon Kohkom lives in the middle of a forest in the high country of North-Central Canada. It is the wild beauty of her surroundings that inspires her digital paintings of wildlife and nature. She grew up in Southern Canada and has been creating since childhood, always drawing, painting or making something. She has enjoyed many creative adventures, including sculpting, stained glass art, being an authentic Native artisan through a spirtual assosciation, and a graphic artist.
Artist Statement
Reality and fantasy blend together as Neon Kohkom combines photo sources and painting techniques to create unique mixed medium images that she calls living art. Many of the animals she paints have a spiritual quality with the power to heal hearts and spirits. She sees the uniqueness in every living being as a momentary gift to be treasured. And so it is this need to encapsulate the life force, to enhance and celebrate it,
Gallery Hours
Tuesday 12 – 6 pm
Wednesday 12— 6 pm
Thursday 12 – 7 pm
Friday 12 – 5 pm
Saturday 12 – 5 pm
Gallery Address
10123 – 121 Street
Edmonton, AB
T5N 3W9