EMERGENCE

Emergence is a group exhibition featuring the works of five recent graduates from UBCO’s BFA program. The exhibition showcases a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, and mixed media printmaking installation. The various artworks explore themes related to art history, the human condition, mental health and gender identity.

The artists in the exhibition draw on a variety of influences, including art history and traditional modes of artistic production, but include contemporary art forms as well as street graffiti and sculptural installation. Many of the works are based on research, and some are also informed by personal experiences and exploration.

The exhibition Emergence offers a diverse and thought-provoking collection of works that highlight the talent and creativity of these emerging artists, as well as their engagement with important social and cultural issues.

Bella Jiang

Bella Jiang’s work is centered around the transience and fleeting nature of existence and the idea of capturing ephemeral moments of daily life. Her use of hazy, dream-like imagery and soft colors adds to the sense of impermanence and evokes a mood that is both contemplative and introspective.

Jiang focuses on capturing moments of introspection in order to explore deeper philosophical questions about the meaning of existence. Her contemplation of the fleeting and impermanent nature of existence is a deeply human experience that has inspired artists for centuries and continues to be a rich source of artistic expression today.

Overall, these themes offer a powerful way to explore the human experience and encourage viewers to embrace the present moment and appreciate the beauty of the world around us.

Jordan Macdonald

In her studio practice, Jordan MacDonald address issues of the human condition and raise awareness about mental health. Her practice involves working with a variety of materials and techniques to create mixed media abstract pieces that encourage themes of meditative space and introspection.

The focus on contemplative space suggests that MacDonald is interested in creating work that encourages the viewer to slow down and engage with the piece on a deeper level. This could involve creating pieces with a minimalist aesthetic that invite contemplation by using materials that have a tactile or sensory quality that encourages the viewer to visually interact with the work.

MacDonalds studio practice is centered around exploring the intersection of visual art and mindfulness, creating work that encourages viewers to reflect on their inner experiences and engage with the present moment.

EMILY-JAYNE MAY MYATT

Emily-Jane May Myatt’s current body of work explores the intersection of gender, art history, and the painted image, with a particular focus on the social construction of gender and subverting binary systems. She uses source images from photographs and the internet to create digital compositions, which she then translates onto canvas using various techniques including paint washes, mark making and texture.

This approach to image-making allows her to bring together diverse source materials and create layered, complex works that challenge traditional notions of gender representation in art and society. By working with both digital and physical media, she can explore the relationship between technology and the human body, as well as the ways in which gender is constructed and performed in different contexts.

Myatt’s interest in art history suggests that she is drawing on a range of artistic traditions and visual languages in her work to question and challenge established hierarchies and power structures in the arts and, by extension, in society. Overall, Myatt’s approach seems to be characterized by research, experimentation, and a willingness to push the boundaries of what is traditionally considered “art.”

Julia Pearson

Julia Pearson’s studio practice has a strong focus on identity and the relationship between selfidentification and expression. Her art is a journey of self-discovery, which is reflected in the wide range of techniques she uses, including interdisciplinary methods combining photography, screenprinting, and installation.

Pearson’s work is influenced by street graffiti, which is known for challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries. As a result, Pearson’s art is challenging and inspiring, encouraging viewers to think critically about their own identity and the world around them. Overall, she is using her practice to explore important themes and ideas that are both personal and universal.

Angela Wood

Angela Wood perceives painting and dance as art forms that involve movement, rhythm, and expression. While they are distinct art forms, there may be some similarities in terms of the way they communicate and evoke emotions.

Wood’s paintings are based in Formalist art theory that emphasizes the formal qualities of art, such as line, color, and composition, over its content or subject matter. This approach to art is often associated with modernism and abstract art movements.

Wood’s lyrical interpretation of the painting process refers to an approach to painting that emphasizes the flow and movement of paint on the canvas, rather than a strict adherence to representational or figurative techniques.

Her large-scale paintings provide a powerful visual impact and create an immersive experience for the viewer. The scale of the artwork also emphasizes the physicality and materiality of the paint and invites the viewer to engage with the artwork in a more physical and sensory way.

Lubos Culen Curator Vernon Public Art Gallery

One Thing Leads To Another

While it is often challenging to uncover a single unifying thread among the disparate practices of students in UBC Okanagan’s graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts program, the artists presented in this year’s Emergence exhibition have all elected to engage with traditional media in innovative ways. One possible theory for why this cohort profoundly leaned into painting and sculpture is to form a counterrevolution to our day-to-day preoccupation with digital information and the intangible.

There is a unique satisfaction in toiling over a large canvas, in the case of Angela Wood’s abstract paintings that take the ephemeral form of blown bubbles as a point of departure, or Emily-Jane May Myatt’s works, which recontextualize concepts of gender within art historical compositions. These artists are invested as much in the technique as in the cathartic process that artistic production provides.

Questioning constructed identity offers a meaningful outlet for some of these emergent artists to situate their practices within a complex space, which continues to favour the clichés of the past. This concept is at the forefront of Julia Pearson’s site-specific installation works, which respond to constantly shifting paradigms in the artist’s sense of self. The audience will never know what to expect from Julia’s work until the final installation, and it may move in different directions even after that. In other artworks by Jordan MacDonald and Bella Jiang, making oneself vulnerable is foregrounded, as narratives of mental health and comfort are revealed.

Another critical attribute uniting these five artists is their fierce independence. While acting as their course instructor, they taught me as much as I taught them about finding one’s place in the world through art. I am incredibly pleased to witness this next step in what will undoubtedly be brilliant careers as creative minds.

Andreas Rutkauskas Lecturer, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies UBC Okanagan

Artists And Their Works In The Exhibition

Bella Jiang

My paintings explore the theme of the fleeting and impermanent nature of existence, as seen through the lens of Gautama Buddha’s teachings. He described life as “a drop of dew, a bubble floating in a stream; a flash of lightning in a summer cloud, or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.” The concept of everything being a phantom resonates deeply with me.

In my paintings, I want to capture the ephemeral moments of daily life through the use of still life, figures, and landscapes. These ephemeral moments are presented in a hazy, dream-like manner.

This approach aligns with my broader interest in exploring the fleeting and impermanent nature of existence, which is reflected in the use of soft colours and blurred boundaries between objects. By layering and wiping colours and shapes, I wish to create this moody and atmospheric feeling that expresses the transience and emptiness of life. Overall, I hope this series can offer virtually a deeply contemplative and introspective view of the world around us.

When Everything Falls Back to Silence, 2023, oil on canvas, 122 x 91 cm

Until We Meet Again,

When Everything Falls Back to Silence (detail), 2023,oil on canvas, 122 x 91 cm

JORDAN MACDONALD

My art is a bold and honest response to the highs and lows of my personal journey towards better managing my psychological health. As someone who has firsthand experience with anxiety, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, I utilize my artwork to raise awareness of the intricate and overwhelming interplay of a broad spectrum of mental conditions.

By combining sculpture and painting in my practice, I am able to convey the essence of my experiences, which have involved a great deal of introspection and reflection. In many ways, my art is a form of therapy—a way for me to work through my emotions and find healing.

Using minimalism, I create subtle and nuanced representations of my mental health journey through mixed-media abstraction. This approach emphasizes the importance of decluttering the mind, focusing on what is truly important, and promoting overall well-being by reducing stress and anxiety. It also encourages mindfulness, and being present in the moment, reducing worry about the past or future. Through minimalism, I aim to create pieces that are both beautiful and meaningful, conveying the depth and complexity of my lived experiences.

My art is an exploration of my emotions and experiences in a transformative and cathartic manner. By delving into psychological wellness, bereavement, and therapeutic strategies, I shine a light on difficult topics that are often shrouded in shame and stigma while also discovering new opportunities for personal growth and healing. Overall, my work is deeply personal, drawing connections to my own journey, struggles, and uncertainties, as well as emphasizing the exploration and processing of these experiences through an abstract lens.