August 3 – September 15, 2012
Drawings and mixed media by Tanya Pixie Johnson & Nadine Stefan,
curated by Helen Sebelius
The Kootenay Gallery will be hosting a curated exhibition entitled, Inner & Outer Landscapes. The new works of two Columbia Basin artists, Nadine Stefan and Tanya Pixie Johnson, explore the natural environment and our physiological relationship to it through the use of mixed media installations.
At first glance Johnson’s drawings have obvious references to the human spine and nervous system but upon further exploration her inclusion of natural objects and artifacts speak to how connected she is to the nature of the place in which she lives.
Stefan’s use of tree branches, recycled materials and finely constructed, clean-edged mounts create a play between opposing forces of industry and the untouched forest.
The resulting exhibition creates an atmosphere of tranquility we often find in nature but true to the mission of the Kootenay Gallery, this exhibition will challenge the viewer to re-evaluate their preconceived notions of what art is, how it speaks to us and what the message is that we are to take away.
As Curator Helen Sebelius states, “My attention, at first captured by the artists’ interpretations of their natural surroundings, slowly shifted from an appreciation of their detailed, methodically rendered and constructed artworks to an emotional state that evoked reflection on personal and cultural histories”.
The public are invited to attend a closing reception to be held on September 7 at 7pm. The Kootenay Gallery is located on Heritage Way across from the Castlegar Airport adjacent to the Doukhobor Discovery Centre.