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At the Galleries: March means multi-media across Greater Victoria art spaces

With no new space in sight, Bateman Gallery officially closes

The Avenue Gallery offers a plethora of media for March with works from Bi Yuan Cheng, Janis Woode and Becky Holuk.

Yuan Cheng was born in 1957 and raised in Jinan, China. Under the guidance and encouragement of his father, Bi began practicing art at age five. At the tender age of 11, Yuan Cheng was mentored by one of China’s most prestigious art professors who further developed Bi’s already considerable skills in oil and watercolour. This rewarding relationship lasted 10 years and greatly influenced his future success.

In 1983, Yuan Cheng graduated magna cum laude from ZiangXi Art University. Many of his works are on display at the University Art Museum. In 1987, Bi’s distinguished career was recognized with the title of “Chinese Art Master” and in 1989, he was accepted into the prestigious Chinese Encyclopedia of Art.

Yuan Cheng immigrated to Canada in 1990 and presently resides in Vancouver where he continues his masterful career. He continues to capture the beauty of the Canadian landscape with calligraphic brushwork, mastery of light and refined use of colour.

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Wood, who was born in Prince Rupert and spent three decades at various jobs in the health-care field – received formal artistic training at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design and later at Capilano College. Her work with metal, which originated at Emily Carr, triggered a desire to learn to weld which opened the door to articulate her artistic vision. She has worked in metal ever since. Her work, Voyage, is at The Avenue Gallery this month.

“Voyage is a comment on the artistic journey. We may start out as weavers and end up in the metal shop. The metal sculptor may dream of the day they pick up a paintbrush. Personally, I feel that the path will present itself when we are ready to take it. It’s all out there just waiting to be explored in good time,” she says.

Calgary-based Holuk studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design, earning an Illingworth Kerr Award for proficiency in drawing and design. After working full-time in the field of graphic design and illustration for 10 years, Holuk changed direction to focus solely on her passion for fine art painting and works primarily in acrylic on canvas.

She considers it a blessing to be part of the connection artwork provides between artist and viewer and has discovered that hikes and walks in the natural, majestic beauty of the Alberta Foothills, Canadian Rockies and the West Coast are favourite times to ‘observe, record and reflect’ for later artistic pursuits in the studio.

Learn more at theavenuegallery.com.

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Madrona Gallery is pleased to offer an excellent cross-section of artworks from major eras and movements in Canadian art history this month.

The gallery’s biggest exhibition of the year features work from E.J. Hughes, Emily Carr, members of the Group of Seven, Takao Tanabe, Joe Fafard, David Blackwood, William Perehudoff, Mary Pratt, and many others.

Historic and Post-War Canadian Art runs March 18 to April 1 with an opening reception March 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information visit madronagallery.com.

Paul Joregensen tells stories with art at West End Gallery this month.

Jorgensen delights in stories and his work is known for drawing viewers into a lush tableau that begs to be explored. Intricately layered and generously patterned, Jorgensen’s unique approach to painting is enhanced by skewed perspectives and prolific use of intertwined shapes and forms. Inspired by travels near and far, his enchanting paintings are a whimsical escape from the everyday mundane.

Visit westendgalleryltd.com for more information.

Tracy McMenemy presents Folded Earth at the Fortune Gallery.

McMenemy’s multi-disciplinary practice includes photography, installation, painting and sculpture. In Folded Earth, she uses an iPad and Apple Pencil to mould photographic forms into a variety of shapes.

Folded Earth runs March 4 to April 9 with a launch event March 4 from 2 to 5p.m.

For more information visit artopenings.ca.

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Heart of the House Art & the West Coast Modern Home closes March 14 at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Curated by Steven McNeil, the exhibition highlights a selection of art and objects associated with West Coast modernism and the domestic interior from the mid-20th century.

The works included come from the AGGV’s permanent collection as well as selected private collections. The exhibition considers these works of art as integral to the concept of modern living that developed in mid-century B.C., whether part of a fully integrated interior or simply objects made and enjoyed by artists and collectors active in the mid-20th century.

Thursday evenings are admission by donation from 5 to 9 p.m.

Visit aggv.ca for more.

RELATED: Victoria’s Bateman Gallery moving from Steamship Terminal home

After a decade in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, the Bateman Gallery closed Feb. 18.

The foundation began the new year with hopes of a re-imagined community art and nature centre in the heart of Victoria and an ambitious fundraising outreach campaign. Unfortunately, compounded challenges created an untenable situation to recover from the post-pandemic landscape and rising operational costs, the organization said in a statement.

“One silver lining of our closure is the hope it will sound the alarm to the community that we must not take our spaces for culture and art for granted. We need to start today to prioritize funding to protect our cultural institutions,” foundation chair David Schneider said.

The board will remain active as it assesses the potential development of a sustainable model.


 

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