A pair of new exhibitions for summer are soon to open with one large reception at the Two Rivers Gallery. Two artists - one from Prince George and one from Ontario - will each have a spotlight.
Polish photography artist Andrzej Maciejewsk, now living in Ontario, unveils his exhibition entitled Garden of Eden in one of the facility's feature halls. According to curator George Harris, "it is inspired by the still life paintings of old masters such as Caravaggio, Luis Melendez, Sanchez Cotan and Dutch masters Willem Kaff and Jan Davidszoon de Heem. However, unlike these still life paintings of old, Maciejewski keeps intact and visible the PLU sticker that is found on modern day fruits and vegetables. Often overlooked the PLU sticker represents information concerning the variety of fruit or vegetable, including whether it is organic or not."
According to Maciejewski, "The 21st century society has created a new Garden of Eden, where everything looks perfect and flawless but many things...have been lost during this process."
In the other feature hall, renowned Prince George sculptor Phil Morrison displays his collection entitled Heaven. Hunger. Heart.
"This exhibition will use a number of older artworks to draw into context a series of recent sculptures," said Harris. "Morrison created large post-industrial concrete and rebar sculptures early in his practice expanding his interests to embrace recycling. Subsequent works utilized washing machine and drier bodies as building blocks creating monumental structures, and even a van, into which he would cut poems and provocative statements using a plasma cutter. This exhibition looks at new work by Morrison that heralds a return to concrete but on a more intimate scale. These works represent an about-face for the artist and reveal a refinement in working with his medium ideally suited to introspection and personal reflection."
Morrison and Maciejewski will each speak to the reception audience about their works and artistic processes, then the public can have a personalized tour of the two exhibitions.
The event happens July 24 at 7:30. Refreshments will be served and the event is free and open to the public.
