New exhibit at Two Rivers Gallery

A new exhibition at the Two Rivers Gallery called Arterial by The Fantastic5Point0 Collective sees five BC artists located along Highway 16 connect by creating community and support.

The five artists included are Lynn Cociani, Michelle Gazely, Mo Hamilton, Suzo Hickey, and Sarah Northcott who are from Prince Rupert, Quick, Smithers and Prince George and are connected by an arterial road that stretches 708 km from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

The show brings together a range of styles from landscapes to florals, from abstract painting to myth and storytelling, depicting a vibrant picture of Northern BC.

The Fantastic5Point0 collective grew from a self-directed painting retreat in 2018 in Wells, BC. Ten hours of highway driving separates Prince George from Prince Rupert, but artists living in the north are familiar with long distances and isolation.

The images in Arterial speak to the resilience of artists in the North, of finding community and support.

“This show, Arterial, is very dear to me,” Lynn Cociani said. “In times where we’ve all been isolated from each other, coming together like this to exhibit around a theme of connection has been a really meaningful experience. The show feels like a lovely metaphor for our friendship,

and it’s significant that our final show is in Prince George, which is the terminus of the artery, the highway that connects us. And I love that our paintings can hang out together even if we can’t.”

The exhibition can be seen at the gallery until Sept. 19, 2021.