This week, art enthusiasts can Meet Vole and also spend some time with Perry Rath.
Vole is a fictional character; Rath is very real.
The Two Rivers Gallery (2RG) holds an opening reception Thursday night at the Rustad Galleria for the latest exhibition by Rath, a Smithers-based painter who created this show as a collaboration with Kingston-based writer Jane Tolmie. The words and images combined in this series that tells a symbolic story.
"This exhibition is a cross-country collaboration between Tolmie and Rath featuring a character named Vole," said 2RG assistant curator Maeve Hanna. It was also explained that Tolmie was inspired by the Virginia Wolf book A Room Of One's Own in which it is written that "literature is open to everybody" and the human mind cannot be caged despite any attempts by authorities or societies to impose creative restrictions.
"We could say here that visual arts and literature are both open to everybody," Hanna said. "The exhibition pairs the poetic texts of Tolmie with imagery by Rath that were inspired by the texts Tolmie wrote. The emerging exhibition is narrative-based, following Vole on its many journeys... As we look at this exhibition we see Vole moving through an imaginary world. Vole's role serves to explore and provide commentary on many subtle and overt aspects of our fragmented and stratified history and society, since Vole generally finds itself an under-respected outcast."
Tolmie will not be in attendance but Rath will be personally at the grand opening on Thursday. He well remembers the way to the 2RG doors, having been a featured artist there and elsewhere in the area several times before.
He made his Prince George debut in 2004 with a 2RG show entitled Ghosts. He followed that with a 2010 display at Island Mountain Arts in Wells, then a 2012 exhibition at Groop Gallery. He has also been included in some 2RG group shows and art auctions over the years.
Elsewhere, Rath has also been featured in shows as far away as Germany, Britain, Russia, USA, India and Australia, plus many other locations across Canada.
"This is not the only artist collaboration of this kind," said Hanna. "Collaborations like this are popping up constantly which demonstrates the strength in bringing words and images together."
Meet Vole opens to the public this Thursday starting at 7:30 p.m. with a discussion by Rath and light refreshments will be served.
