And I Shall Be Happy

I was extremely fortunate to be chosen as 1 of 15 disabled artists to be juried into a group exhibit from October 13 – October 30, 2015 which was presented by Kickstart called “And I Shall be Happy” at Pendulum Gallery, HSBC Building, 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver BC. 604 250 9682 – www.pendulumgallery.bc.ca

Participants are: Yuki Goodman Taryn Goodwin Angie Gursche Olga Kalamkarova Cat L’Hirondelle Joni Larsen Geoffrey Lee Peggy Logan Julie Milano Stephanie Moore Naomi Olsen Bill Pop David Purkis Vicki Lynn Rae Rose Williams

This is the invitation I designed for my family and friends of my 1st juried group exhibit.

Invitation KickStart_And I Shall Be Happy_2015_10_12-30

I found the write up about the exhibit by Kickstart quite interesting and it reads as follows:

What does it mean to be happy? With our culture so obsessed about something so difficult to define let alone achieve, And I Shall Be Happy takes the view that happiness is open to multiple interpretations, and has layers of political and social meaning, particularly for people with disabilities. The disabled are enjoined to ‘be happy’ despite the real challenges and barriers they face. This is particularly true for artists, who have to conceive and produce work in and for a context that is both physically and mentally challenging to navigate and often minimizes and trivializes their achievements.

People with disabilities can be seen as tragic figures by the non-disabled world, and it is sometimes a monumental struggle for these artists to move forward with optimism and unfettered creativity. Negotiating both external and internal directives to be happy is an ongoing and complex process. This exhibition, presented by Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture, presents a group of artists who show us a wide range of interpretations of what it means to seek happiness, and that their search for self expression, like that of all artists, is often a response to their own personal attitudes, situations and beliefs.

Artist Yuki GoodmanUnfortunately, one of Yuki Goodman’s paintings was stolen from the gallery between the hanging and the opening of the exhibit and is depicted to the left per chance that anyone viewing this post might recognize it and take action to have it returned to the rightful owner.

I was so taken with the whole experience (my piece was in a prominent position for all to see as they walked by the gallery) that I only got a few shots of the gallery on my way home. Luckily one of my artist friends snapped a photo of me standing next to my art piece.

Kickstart Pendulum Gallary 2015_10_15 View 3 Kickstart Pendulum Gallary 2015_10_15 View 2 Kickstart Pendulum Gallary 2015_10_15 Art Piece with Artist

 

 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *