Interpretive Talks with Jenelle Pasiechnik
January 30, 5:00 – 5:30 pm and February 13, 12:30 – 1:00 pm
Main gallery, by donation.
Exhibition Opening: Behind the Lines: Contemporary Syrian Art
March 9, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
All are welcome to celebrate the opening of our new exhibition.
Exhibition Opening: Slow Technology & Collage, sans colle
March 7, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Three BC-based female artists, Emily Hermant, Ingrid Mary Percy, and Kelsey Epp examine themes of gender, knowledge-transmission and how technology affects human interactions in the exhibition Slow Technology. Each creates laboriously constructed artworks that are woven and sewn in textile and telecommunications materials.
In Collage, sans colle, the work of eighteen contemporary collage artists from across Canada is presented under three separate themes in our hallway cases. Our first presentation looks at the broad reach of collage and is on view from March 1 to May 23, 2019. Presenting artists include: Lynda Gammon (Victoria, BC), Richard Kerr (Bromont, QC), Arthur Lipsett, Rhonda Pelley, (St. John’s, NL), Marie-Douce St. Jacques (Montreal, QC), Jacob Robert Whibley (Toronto, ON).
Interpretive Talks with Jenelle Pasiechnik
March 27, 5:00 – 5:30 pm and April 24, 12:30 – 1:00 pm
Main gallery, by donation.
At Eternity’s Gate Fundraiser
April 9
Join us on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at the Tidemark Theatre for a film screening of this about Vincent van Gogh’s troubled last days.
Academy Award (R) Nominee Willem Dafoe teams with painter, director, and Academy Award (R) Nominee Julian Schnabel (Basquiat, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) star in this film.
At Eternity’s Gate is a journey inside the world and mind of a person who, despite skepticism, ridicule and illness, created some of the world’s most beloved and stunning works of art. Schnabel devotes much of At Eternity’s Gate to the act of creation itself, presenting the Post-Impressionist master’s artistic process as a visceral and internal experience while Dafoe, as Van Gogh, conveys the strenuous physicality of painting. The result is a kaleidoscopic and immersive film about being alive and reaching, through art, for the eternal — and about the beauty and wonder Van Gogh left behind, unaware of the profound impact it would have.
Tickets: $12 Admission, $10 Winter CRFF Pass Holders (+applicable taxes & fees)
Annual General Meeting
April 25, 4:00 pm
Please join us for the AGM to hear about our exciting accomplishments in 2018! Refreshments will be served. Stay for the Artist Panel at 5:00.
Artist Panel Discussion
April 25, 5:00 – 6:30 pm
In our main gallery from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. Cost: $5. Exhibiting artists Emily Hermant, Ingrid Mary Percy, and Kelsey Epp addressed the main themes of the show and discussed the specifics of their artworks.
A Night of Syrian Film
June 5, 7:00 pm
As a compliment to the showing of “Behind the Lines: Contemporary Syrian Art,” the CRAG hosted an evening of Syrian Film that offered a deeper context and engagement with the artwork hanging in the gallery. This evening challenged and inspired perspectives on the strength of human spirit and the ability to love and hope during great hardships.
Love During the Siege, Diaries of a family in the besieged southern Damascus (15 mins) A film by Mattar Ismaeel More than two years have passed and the Syrian regime still besieges the Southern suburbs of Damascus where a population of more than 100,000 people live until today. During those two years, more than 200 died of hunger and the lack of medical care. The remaining still live under the siege, surviving only by what grows from the Earth. They fight the siege and hunger through hope and love they have learned to find during the hardest of time.
I AM THE REVOLUTION (72 mins) A film by Benedetta Argentieri I AM THE REVOLUTION is an empowering portrait of three determined women in the Middle East who are leading the fight for gender equality and freedom. Politician Selay Ghaffar is one of the most wanted people in the world by the Taliban and yet she still travels through Afghanistan to educate other women about their rights. Rojda Felat is a commander of the Syrian Democratic Army, leading 60,000 troops to defeat ISIS, including freeing their hold on Raqqa and rescuing its people. And Yanar Mohammed, named by the BBC as one of 100 most influential women in the world in 2018, pushes for parliamentary reform in Iraq while running shelters for abused women. I AM THE REVOLUTION challenges the images of veiled, silent women in the Middle East and instead reveals the extraordinary strength of women rising up on the front lines to claim their voice and their rights.
TATLIT (4 mins) A film by Bu Nasser al Touffar This short uplifting film by Bu Nasser al Touffar is set in the besieged region of Eastern Ghouta and is a celebration of voice and resilience despite the barriers of injustice, siege, and bombardment. It is a demonstration of hope, endurance and the power of human connections.
2nd Showing Opening Reception
June 13, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
All new work will be revealed in the 2nd half of Behind The Lines: Contemporary Syrian Art. Join us for an Opening Reception launching this important exhibition and it’s celebration of the human spirit. Light refreshments and entertainment.
An Afternoon of Syrian Music, Food and Dance
June 15, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Truly engage with the exhibition, Behind the Lines: Contemporary Syrian Art in an afternoon to Syrian music, dance and food in Spirit Square. Enjoy some tasty eats with Baba Gannouj Food Truck, listen to the intriguing traditional music of Syria and watch as some local families share their love of dance from their homeland. This is truly an opportunity to see the heart and soul of this ancient civilization. CRAG will also be leading guided talks through the Behind the Lines exhibition and kids will be invited to learn how to write their name in Arabic.
