New exhibitions from permanent collection and Island artist on view at Confederation Centre Art Gallery

March 4, 2024 – Four new exhibitions featuring a wide range of Canadian artists are on view this winter at Confederation Centre Art Gallery. The public is invited to view the exhibitions at the Winter Gallery Opening on Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. Guests will enjoy light refreshments, live music, and a cash bar. The evening will also celebrate the launch of the book Donald Andrus: The Shape of Desire, out now with Goose Lane. Copies of the book will be on sale and the artist will be available to sign copies.

“It’s amazing how the Gallery’s permanent collection inspires new exhibitions. Couple these with the impressive array of figurative and abstract paintings from Donald Andrus, and the Gallery is again completely transformed for our visitors,” says Gallery director Kevin Rice. “Gallery openings are a great place to connect with friends while checking out the exhibitions, and we invite everyone to join us.”

The exhibition Arctic Visions, Arctic Life features a selection of works made in Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water, and ice of the Inuit homeland in Canada. The exhibition focuses on Inuit art, including historical and contemporary work, but also includes some works created by visitors. Curated by Pan Wendt, the exhibition features works from Sobey Art Award winner Annie Pootoogook, internationally renowned printmaker Kenojuak Ashevak, and more.

On view in the Frederic S. and Ogden Martin Concourse Gallery, the exhibition Gestures: Traces of Embodiment highlights works that display the physical involvement of the artist in their making. They demonstrate the visual language of bodily movement, the traces in a finished artwork of touch, gesture, and action. In each case, evidence of the living person having been there, active, alive, involved, committed is central to the artistic statement. Curated by Pan Wendt, it features artists such as Carl Beam, Lise Gervais, and William Ronald.

Donald Andrus: A Retrospective looks at the career of an Island artist known for experimentation with the materials, processes, and ideas that underpin the making of images. Curated by Ihor Holubizky and Pan Wendt, the exhibition is drawn from over 30 years of work and features highlights from his various bodies of work, ranging from drawings and abstract painting to his later portraits.

Also on view is The Sweet Spot, a selection of works from Confederation Centre Art Gallery’s permanent collection that aim for that elusive place or moment that finds just the right balance between order and possibility, the ideal distance between intimacy and perspective, between freedom and generosity. It is the perfect jump shot or musical note. It takes practice and yet must be improvised. It is always moving, and never known in advance. Curated by Pan Wendt, it features artists such as Scotiabank Photography Award winner Jin-me Yoon, Jocelyn Alloucherie, Michael Fernandes, and Graeme Patterson.

The Galley opening is free to attend, and no registration is required. Visit confederationcentre.com/art-gallery/ for information on all events and exhibitions at Confederation Centre Art Gallery.

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Photo: Lise Gervais, Regatta, 1970, oil on linen, 122.2 x 182.8 cm. Gift of Michel Huart, Beaconsfield, Quebec, 1988. CAG 88.7.

Media Contact:
Emily McMahon, Communications Manager, Confederation Centre of the Arts
[email protected] | 902-628-6135