Headbones Gallery opens Local(i)ty 3, an exhibition of works by Brenda Feist, Nora Curiston, and Laura Widmer, with music by Dave Soroka, Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m.
Guest curator Carin Covin invited these three artists to be a part of her 2014 curatorial project, which investigated the differences of small versus large centres within the concerns of what art can be seen as today, where it can be produced, and how it can be given an audience.
Curiston is based in Grand Forks and Feist and Widmer are based in Kelowna.
“Local(i)ty has always owned Nora Curiston as our resident conceptualist. She is interested in cosmology and this intersection of concepts of our universe and the commonality of the materials she chooses produces interesting works,” said Covin.
“Nora suggests that she wishes to engage with ideas one degree off of their centre and she understands that her best works are the ones that least confirms our expectations as viewers. These goals are evident in the work presented in this exhibition, as she explores the phenomenon of wind.”
As a sculptor and writer, Feist is obsessed with form and space, and she acknowledges that she is constantly searching for the form to suit the content.
“Her work reminds us that metaphor and symbolism have a rich place within visual language,” said Covin.
“A simple definition of metaphor is a figure of speech that is ordinarily used for one thing and is then used to designate another. Brenda pushes these ideas to suggest unusual pairings and meanings, and in doing so, challenges many societal tropes that she sees around her.”
Widmer employs one of the basic tenets of visual language, one of observation and response. One views the world around oneself, and formulates a visual response to what one sees, said Covin.
“The bulk of the work in this exhibition is from the observation and response to her studio walls as she prepared for an exhibition in 2015.
Widmer feels that working with the complex process of printing and the methodical process of making paper mirrors our human condition; processes that become a metaphor for the search for the ultimate meaning of life.”
The exhibition is on view from Jan. 28 to March 30. Headbones Gallery, located at 6700 Old Kamloops Rd., is open Tuesday to Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m.