Newly founded Non-profit Art Centre hopes to boost engagement and accessibility of art by showcasing works relevant to the young generations.Canada – April 5th, 2022 – Vancouver Downtown used to be home to many long-established galleries and art centers. They had been shaping the cultural landscape and contributing to the city’s dynamics and tourism. However, with the expansion of gentrification in recent years, many of these galleries have relocated out of downtown Vancouver, leaving the district with dull and uninspiring high-rises.
Research conducted by the National Endowment for the Art in 2019 shows that 38% of households rated living convenient to arts and cultural events “important” or “very important”, and are more satisfied with the neighborhood they live in.
Aiming to enhance accessibility and public engagement in the arts, CICA Vancouver selected Gastown to be the home of contemporary art exhibitions and diverse programs.
CICA Vancouver is proud to announce its grand opening exhibition Through Our Eyes – Resonance and Illusion in Contemporary Portraits, featuring works by George Condo, Rashid Johnson, Derek Fordjour, Hernan Bas, Austin Lee, Javier Calleja and more. Located in Vancouver’s most vibrant community, CICA Vancouver aims to introduce a novel way to interact and engage with contemporary arts and culture.
The third year into the pandemic, people have spent an inconceivable amount of time with themselves, yet craving human interactions like never before. As do these artists who continue to investigate the concept of individuals and collectives, and the ambiguous relationship between, through portraiture. Human figures in their paintings are merely abstract representations of an individual or a group, they are encapsulated as the carrier of memories, emotions, experiences, and quarantine monologues. Unlike most portraits that depict a “sitter” – a real person – and aim to achieve a certain level of “likeness” in presentation, these modern works forego the “sitter” in order to allow for a greater magnitude of commonality and ambiguity. In place of others, these fictitious “sitters” seek answers to questions like identity, gender, chaos, uncertainty, desire, acculturation, and more. They play with people’s perceptions and illusions and make them constantly question the veracity of the subjects.
From George Condo’s “blue painting” to Rashid Johnson’s reflection of the “bruised” psychological state in the time of the pandemic, they choose to present emotions that are highly personal but also collective. The works of Austin Lee, Andre Butzer, Mr. and Javier Calleja then offer a way of healing and resilience by immersing us in contagious happiness.
The artists fuse kaleidoscopic physical appearances, experiences, memories and characteristics into one persona and prompt the audience to seek analogies and resonance. The curator of CICA Vancouver was quoted, “the participatory experience and the sense of resonance have become an important part of contemporary portraits. They lead us into a dialogue with ourselves and the current condition”.
This exhibition runs from March 25 – May 8, 2022.
About CICA Vancouver
CICA Vancouver is a non-profit multidisciplinary art organization founded in Vancouver, 2021. The organization aims to cultivate the creation, development, and engagement of the next generation’s art. Through exhibitions, panel talks, workshops and special events, our goal is to enhance the public’s engagement in the arts, to showcase artists’ works that represent contemporary culture and aesthetics, and to bring diversity into the local art scene. CICA Vancouver will continuously highlight the importance of engagement and accessibility in the arts and implement programs that can enhance the dissemination of contemporary art ideas.
Hours
Wed – Sat 11 am – 6 pm;
Sun by appointment;
Closed on Mon – Tue
Admission
Adults – $8
Seniors (55+) – Free
Students (12 and up) – Free
Children (12 and under) – Free
For more information, visit CICA Vancouver’s official website at https://cicavancouver.com.
Media Contact
Company Name: CICA Vancouver
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Phone: 778-751-5031
City: Vancouver
State: BC
Country: Canada
Website: https://cicavancouver.com
