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| Peter Dykhuis at AV俱乐部 Art Gallery with Alex Livingston's Water and Land Paintings. (Danny Abriel Photo) |
Whether or not they make their living on the water, Nova Scotians鈥� relationships with the ocean are nothing if not complex.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy, the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery is opening a new exhibit, Safe Passages and Welcome Harbours, which contemplates some of these relationships.
Made up of pieces from the Art Gallery鈥檚 1300 strong permanent collection, the exhibit is split into four different themes: 鈥淗arbors and Safe Shores,鈥� 鈥淪hips and the Sea,鈥� 鈥淟and, Water and Sky,鈥� and 鈥淐ontemporary Views鈥�. Each approaches the topic in a slightly different way, ranging from landscape pieces with little human presence, to scenes portraying the bustling industry and infrastructure surrounding the ocean.
鈥淲henever an exhibition like this is put together, it鈥檚 always a conversation between the individual works,鈥� says Peter Dykhuis, curator of the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery. 鈥淓verything is brought together to speak well about each other.鈥�
The show encompasses many different forms of artwork from many different eras, including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and mixed media.
And while thematically the pieces differ 鈥� some displaying a sort of idealism, while others are more bleak 鈥� they all tell a story about the nature of life by the ocean, from the pragmatism required to eke out a life in the oft- harsh conditions, to the romanticism experienced by travelers from away.
The best part of shows like this, says Mr. Dykhuis, is that they bring together pieces that might not have ordinarily been put together. He points to pieces in the 鈥楥ontemporary Views鈥� section, one called Middling by Wayne Boucher, painted in 1995, and the other called Wave, painted by Jack Bush in 1969.
鈥淚f this were a show about Canadian art history, they鈥檇 be in different parts of the museum,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e get to see work put together for the first time that will probably never be put together again.鈥�
鈥淭his is a conversation between a Boucher and a Bush that would never happen normally,鈥� he adds. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 the fun of these exhibitions.鈥�
Safe Passages and Welcome Harbours is open now at AV俱乐部 Art Gallery and runs until July 4th.