Vernon Public Art Gallery
Nicola Tibbetts arctic sojourn
Introduction - nicola tibbetts: Arctic sojourn
Nicola Tibbetts’ exhibition titled Arctic Sojourn captures the quality and vastness of the Arctic landscape that surrounds the remote northern capital of Nunavut, the youngest Canadian territory which was officially formed in 1999. Tibbetts spent last winter in Iqaluit and explored and documented various sites in the town itself, however, her main focus was on capturing the quintessential appearance and feeling of what she references as “still vastness of the signature northern landscape”. Tibbetts’ exhibition of works is somewhat diaristic as her paintings are based on photographic images taken on her daily walks through and on the outskirts of town. Many paintings juxtapose the vast expanses of snow-covered landscapes devoid of any human presence with images of various buildings in Iqaluit. The buildings’ rectangular structures and for the most part, vivid colours, contrast with the otherwise almost monochrome appearance of the Arctic landscape. Only some of Tibbett’s landscapes show a human presence; sometimes just long shadows cast on the snow by the artist herself while photographing a site and when she renders a figure in the landscape, it shows the enormous expanse of landmass and its geomorphology where the size of a human being is dwarfed and insignificant. Despite northern Canada’s extreme winter environment with short daylight, long nights and cold, unimaginable for someone living just north of the 49th parallel, Tibbetts’ sensibility gives preference and contemplation for what she identifies as ‘beauty’ inherently instilled into the landscape by the Arctic climate. Amongst the paintings which capture the sublime vistas of the northern landscape, Tibbetts’ additional paintings with images that attest to the human presence are at once subtle and assertive, but also subversive. Images of antennas imply communication and navigation over large distances, while an image of a departing airplane illuminates the fact that Iqaluit is not connected to the Canadian highway system and the only access is by plane or boat. Similarly, the images of both the airport and hospital in Iqaluit are a concrete reference of prevailing western way of existence. Tibbett’s exhibition is a commentary about the current status quo of all intersecting streams of human existence in Iqaluit. Traditional relationship of Inuit peoples with the land stewardship clash with the newcomers’ desire for western cultural values, products and temporary success before leaving south again. Yet this subtle critique of prevailing Neocolonial attitudes is juxtaposed by the admiration for the unique quality of the Arctic landscape framed within the context of the landscape painting tradition in Canada. Lubos Culen Curator Vernon Public Art Gallery 2
Neighbourhood, 2015, oil on panel, 16 x 16 in
Artist Statement
Last winter I became one of the many short-term inhabitants of Nunavut. The landscapes were unexpectedly and inspiringly beautiful. I found the complexities of northern life, the cold, and the utilitarian buildings very intriguing. I began a series of paintings that sought to unapologetically showcase the beauty of Iqaluit and Cape Dorset. Beauty, a complex subject with deep and complicated roots in Canadian landscape painting, is inescapable in the north. Winter days are short and blindingly bright, with sunrises and sunsets lasting for hours. Just beyond Tim Hortons the shore ice rises and falls 12 meters with each tide, and on warmer days sublimes before the sun disappears again, making way for the mercurial aurora borealis. My paintings, based on photographs taken on daily walks, document a short period in Iqaluit’s twenty-year history as a Canadian capital. The technique I used was developed from a lack of white paint. I had brought all of my materials from Vancouver, but had underestimated the quantity of white I would need. There is nowhere to buy oil paint in Nunavut and solvent can’t be transported by air. Using thin washes of oil paint I scrubbed back into the wet paint to reveal the white of the gesso on the panel. The technique lent itself to the dry stillness of the place while the watery quality of the washes helped the paintings depart from something purely photographic and become more painterly and light-filled. Iqaluit is a newly-minted city where Inuit culture collides with a large transient population of young people who come to find work and make money. Signs of neocolonialism are everywhere, from the structures to the costly Canada Goose down jacket which has become the trademark of the southerner in downtown Iqaluit. These symbols are in sharp contrast to the vast stillness of the signature northern landscape, which stretches with the curve of the earth once your gaze passes the edges of town. Outside the city limits, the land offers evidence of thousands of years of Inuit livelihood, one that blends more seamlessly with the land than our military outpost-turned Canadian capital. Nicola Tibbetts
Self Portrait, 2015, oil on panel, 10 x 10 in
Cape Dorset with David, 2015, oil on panel, 12 x 36 in
Snow Pile and Sign, 2015, oil on panel, 10 x 10 in
Nicola Tibbetts www.nicolatibbetts.com
curriculum vitae
Education 2010 2008
MFA Fine and Media Arts; Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University, Halifax, NS BFA Studio Arts; Concordia University, Graduate with Distinction, Montreal, QC
selected solo exhibitions 2016 2014 2013 2012
Arctic Sojourn, Deer Lake Gallery, Burnaby, BC Food Behaving Strangely, Amelia Douglas Gallery, New Westminster, BC Ball of Life, Port Moody Arts Centre, Port Moody, BC Progress, Capilano University Art Gallery, North Vancouver, BC
selected group exhibitions 2016 2016 2016 2016 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2011 2009 2008 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007
Land and Sea, Kariton Art Gallery, Abbotsford Arts Council, Abbotsford, BC Art Instructors Exhibition, West Vancouver Memorial Library, West Vancouver, BC My Richmond, Richmond City Hall Gallery, Richmond, BC Chali Rosso Gallery, Vancouver, BC Dedicated Drawing Club, Kwantlen University Library, Surrey, BC ExtraOrdinary, CityScape, North Vancouver Arts Council, North Vancouver, BC Dedicated Drawing Club, Capilano University Library, North Vancouver, BC Grit and Gristle, Make Studios, Vancouver, BC Cabinet of Curiosity, Port Moody Arts Centre, Port Moody, BC Wiki Show, Station Gallery, Whitby, ON Socius, Macdonald Island Gallery, Fort McMurray, AB +1, Capilano University Art Gallery, North Vancouver, BC Fresh paint, New Construction, Art Mur, Montreal, QC START2008, Studio 21, Halifax, NS Harry Potter and the Phantasmagoric Discourse, Art Matters, C-Blu, Montreal, QC To Some Extent, Mile End Gallery, Montreal, QC 4, Quartier Libre, Montreal, QC Door Number 4, Zephyr, Montreal, QC Size Matters, Sharon Ramsey Gallery, Montreal, QC 9
Teaching Experience 2016-present Instructor: West Vancouver Cultural Services, West Vancouver, BC 2015- present Instructor: Richmond Art Centre, Richmond, BC 2010-2014 Instructor: Capilano University, North Vancouver, BC 2011 Instructor: Artists For Kids, North Vancouver, BC 2011 Instructor: Summer Kids Camp, Capilano University, North Vancouver, BC 2010-2011 High School Art Teacher: Vancouver Waldorf School, North Vancouver, BC 2010 Instructor: NSCAD University, Halifax, NS Additional Academic work Degree Development Committee, Capilano University Union Steward, Studio Art, Capilano University Chair, Studio Art Hiring Committee, Capilano University Faculty Representative, Councilors Conference, 2011, Capilano University Portfolio Review Committee, Capilano University MFA Selection Committee, NSCAD University Art-Related Activities 2015 Learning Programs Volunteer, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC 2015 Volunteer, The Kettle Friendship Society, Vancouver, BC 2014 Volunteer, Alianait Arts Festival, Iqaluit, NU 2013 Artist Residency, Anzac, AB 2011-present Co-founder, Dedicated Drawing Club, Vancouver, BC (dedicateddrawingclub.com) 2011-2012 Exhibition Juror, North Vancouver Arts Council, North Vancouver, BC 2010 Exhibition Volunteer, Centre A, Vancouver, BC 2011-2012 Participant, East Side Culture Crawl, Vancouver, BC Public Speaking Engagements 2014 2013 2013 2013
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Artist Talk, Douglas College, New Westminster, BC Artist Talk, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC Artist Talk, Macdonald Island Centre, Fort McMurray, AB Artist Talk, Artists For Kids, North Vancouver, BC
Awards/Scholarships 2014 Capilano University - Group PD Grant 2008 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design - Entrance Fellowship 2008-09 British Columbia Arts Council - Senior Visual Arts Scholarship 2008 BMO 1st Art! - Invitational Student Art Competition Nominee Award 2008 Concordia University - FASA Special Project Grant Reviews and Articles Fairchild TV News. Interview by Cindy Wang, Jul 24, 2014 Sad Mag, on-line edition. Interview by Hannah Bellamy, Jul 13, 2014 Sad Mag, Back Cover, Issue 15, Mar, 2014 The Other Press, New Art Exhibit Presents Food for Thought by Cheryl Minns, vol. 40, Jan 14, 2014 Capilano Courier, The Business of Art by Andy Rice, vol. 46, issue 18, p. 14-15, Mar 4, 2013 La Presse, La bonne affaire de la semaine. Blog by Lortie, Marie-Claude, Aug 5, 2009 Chronicle Herald, stART Exhibition features top students from across Canada.14, p. 6, Mar 15, 2008 Catalogues 2014
Dedicated Drawing Club, Artist’s Book with Toni Latour
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This publication was produced in conjunction with the exhibition: Nicola Tibbetts: Arctic Sojourn Vernon Public Art Gallery, May 25 - July 15, 2017 Production: Vernon Public Art Gallery Cover Image: Nicola Tibbetts: Big Distance, 2015, oil on panel, 36 x 48 in Photography: Nicola Tibbetts Printing: Get Colour Copies, Vernon BC, Canada ISBN 978-1-927407-35-6
copyright Š 2017, Vernon Public Art Gallery All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the Vernon Public Art Gallery. Requests for permission to use these images should be addressed in writing to the Vernon Public Art Gallery, 3228 31st Avenue, Vernon BC, V1T 2H3, Canada. Telephone: 250.545.3173 - fax: 250.545.9096 - website: www.vernonpublicartgallery.com The Vernon Public Art Gallery is a registered not-for-profit society. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee/RDNO, the Province of BC’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, British Columbia Arts Council, the Government of Canada, corporate donors, sponsors, general donations and memberships. Charitable Organization # 108113358RR
Vernon Public Art Gallery 3228 - 31st Avenue, Vernon BC, V1T 2H3 250.545.3173 vernonpublicartgallery.com