Here & There Community Gallery Exhibition

The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba is thrilled to announce an upcoming exhibition entitled Here 6 There by Brandon-based artists Patricia Beech and Jean David. The exhibition will run from January 10th to March 18th, 2023.

Here & There presents the work of two self-taught artists working in the realm of imaginary landscapes and idealized memories, reminiscent of Henri Rousseau and other so-called “naïve artists” of the early 20th-century. Patricia Beech paints a vast Canadian frontier that is removed from the present, with structures and characters who hold a profound historicity. Those figures are, in turn, overpowered by momentary and potent phenomena–a sunset, a flood, a rainbow. Jean David’s environments are, in contrast, decidedly not of the Canadian Prairies. His shores and waters are vibrant blue and his valleys and hills are abundantly floral. They are exaggerations that adorn a dream, and speak to a connection with something divine. Like nostalgia itself, Here & There fluctuates between the grief of physical distance and the ecstasy of mystic presence.

Lucie Lederhendler, who curated the exhibition, Says that she connected the artists’ work almost immediately. ”Even though you instantly notice how different their techniques are, what really Cannes through \s the artists’ imaginations. These paintings feel like a glimpse into their minds’ eyes. ” She adds that while the artists are both Brandonites now, they took very different routes here. “Th s is one of those times that curating feels a bir like alchemy-two people, who might never cross paths in rheir lives, who I was introduced to in totally different ways, both put Ehis work out into the world , and now it’s in an independent conversati^on.”

The public is invited to an opening reception on Thursday, January 26th, at 7 PM at the AGSM. Light refreshments and drinks will be served.

The AGSM would like to thank the Kaye5 Family Fund, City of Brandon, Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts for their sustained supporr of the gallery’s programming.