The official opening of Port Moody Art Centre’s current shows will take place on Thursday evening Jan 12th. between 6 and 8pm. But the work has been on view since last week, partly I’m sure so that Land Artist and photographer Chris MacKenzie can have one of his two planned outdoor Art pieces installed before the opening. So I popped by on rainy Saturday to see what he’d done and to take a quick look at what’s up in my local Art Galleries.
As a long-time fan of British artist Andy Goldsworthy who installs magical arrangements of stones, ice, leaves and sticks in natural settings I was interested to find out what Chris Mackenzie is making. Like Andy, Chris is a fine photographer and it seems to me that once one has spent years taking photos of the best natural scenes one comes to a point of wanting to introduce surprises. Google Andy Goldsworthy to see images of painstaking arrangements of beautiful colours, often in circles outlining odd holes. These works of art may never be seen by anyone except the artist but the photograph capturing this fleeting gift is what we can see in books.
Chris has been working on Land Art for the last two years after many more in photography. His show, ‘Stones, Chestnuts & Snow’ in the 3D gallery features large format photos of some delightful arrangements in local forests and by streams. Large rocks on the floor, a video showing waves gently lapping over pebbles towards red chestnuts placed at the high-tide mark and an accompanying sound-track make the little gallery a pleasing introduction to his ideas and one is then intrigued to see the arrangements of sticks on the outside lawn of the Arts Centre. Next Saturday he plans to work publicly again, installing 8 more rectangles of sticks on the island in front of City Hall.
Gallery curator Susan Jessop asked artist Angela Gooliaff to indicate the feelings of an artist confronted with display cases for her work. The resulting ants scurrying inside and outside the cases are a fun surprise! ‘Cabinet of Curiosity Series’ with Tony Chu.
Time ran out so I shall take a better look at the other two shows at the opening on Thursday – Maegan Elise’ ‘Goodnight Goodluck’ mixed-media drawings based on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan – and the abstract drawings of Rosemary Burden ‘Breeding Ground’.
The Opening Reception was a week ago now. I do enjoy the opportunity to hear more about each artist and the ideas and work behind each person’s exhibition. After spending time with the 2D work this time I appreciated the mixed-media work by Maegan Elise. She is in third year at ECU and her paintings have already been selected for a show in North Vancouver and one image has been chosen by Translink to appear on a bus or a sky train for the next two years. She is this year’s recipient of Port Moody Art Centre’s Kwi Am Choi award for emerging artists. He would have enjoyed her work. I found them to be moving and powerful.
The other 2D works, showing on the walls of the Plum Gallery, are abstract drawings by Rosemary Burden. These warrant a careful look. They have a delicate botanical feel and I enjoyed them a lot.
Since I started this blog over a week ago Chris Mackenzie has been in touch. It was a snowy day last Saturday when he completed the second of his Port Moody installations. I’m afraid we merely walked around our neighbourhood and did not drive down to the end of the Inlet to watch him. But he has sent me two photos of the work as it looks today in the snow. Who knows what effect the next few weeks of rain, frost and then Spring will have on his careful arrangement?
I do hope there will be lots more public art in our city, whether it is ephemeral and a passing pleasure like Chris’ sticks and last year’s now-fading, but thought-provoking blue trees or more permanent sculpture, painting, plantings and even buildings.
