Nanaimo Art Gallery | O Horizon

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Wednesday, October 7th, 2015
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

This fall Nanaimo Art Gallery presents Silva, a contemporary art project that follows a thematic path from the microcosms of the forest floor, to the quantifying and processing of lumber, to the global distribution of forestry products. Silva consists of two exhibitions (O Horizon and Booming Grounds), a publication (The Mill), and a series of public events including artist talks, tours, readings, and performances.

Silva Part I: O Horizon 

September 4 to October 31, 2015

Peter Culley, Duane Linklater, Gareth Moore, Kika Thorne, Elias Wakan

Join us for a reception on September 3 at 7pm.

O Horizon will be opened with a poetry reading by Nanaimo's poet laureate, Naomi Wakan. O Horizon is titled after the scientific name for the forest floor. This top layer of soil is made of decomposing organic matter and forms the life support system for trees, sprouting plants, fungi, and countless small animals.

Through sculptural installation and poetry, the artists in O Horizon reflect on the powerful roles language and culture play in the ways that we understand the natural environment. In the exhibition, materials are quietly alive: blueberry bushes grow near a poem that rests on a podium made of Vancouver Island hemlock, waiting to be read. Black elastic cords intricately threaded through the walls vibrate with physical tension. Elsewhere in the gallery new works made from organic matter respond to our local ecosystem.

Before his recent passing, beloved Nanaimo poet and artist Peter Culley was scheduled to read as part of the public programming for O Horizon. In lieu of this, his poem Fruit Dots will be present in the gallery and read aloud each day at the solar noon.

Curated by Jesse Birch

The opening reception for O Horizon is supported by Thrifty Foods and Arbutus Distillery.

We are grateful for the generous contributions of Marlene Russo, Lawyer and Mediator, Canada Council for the Arts, Malaspina Printmakers, the City of Nanaimo's Culture and Heritage Department, Nanaimo Daily News, and the Ecoforestry Institute.

ARTIST'S TALKS | DUANE LINKLATER AND KIKA THORNE

In conjunction with Silva Part I: O Horizon, we invite you to participate, connect with artists, learn, and explore.

Artist in Residence | Kika Thorne Buttertubs Marsh, Miner's Cottage August 31, 3 – 5 pm | September 6, 1 – 5 pm

While installing her artwork for O Horizon, artist Kika Thorne will be in residence in a former miner's cottage at Buttertubs Marsh. Thorne will transform the cottage into Chemistry: a research centre where the artist will gather and share information on nearby botanical specimens, including their medicinal qualities.

Drop by to meet the artist, discuss her work and share insights. Tea will be served on September 6. The miner's cottage is located at the main entrance to the park on Jinglepot Road.

Artist Talks | Duane Linklater and Kika Thorne

September 5, 2 pm Join us in the Gallery to meet artists Duane Linklater and Kika Thorne to learn about their work. The artists will discuss their artwork in relation to O Horizon, the natural environment, and its cultural and linguistic translations. Admission by donation

Botanical Walk with Celestine Aleck September 26, 2 – 4 pm | Newcastle Island

Celestine Aleck, a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation and an authority on native plants, will lead a tour around Nanaimo's neighbouring Saysutshun (Newcastle Island). The walk will explore the relationships between local forest plants and their names, and articulate the land through traditional stories. Meet at Newcastle Ferry Dock at 1:20 pm Admission $5 | Please register in advance at the gallery or call 250.754.1750

Wildwood Talk and Tour with Jay Rastogi

October 4, 2 pm Join us for a talk and tour of Wildwood's forest floor by ecologist Jay Rastogi in partnership with the stewards of Wildwood, The Ecoforestry Institute. Meet at Wildwood, Crane Road, Cedar

Admission $5 | Please register in advance at the gallery or call 250.754.1750