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New exhibitions coming to The Reach Gallery in Abbotsford

Featuring Deb Silver, Simranpreet Anand, Dona Park, Emilie Kvist, Cassidy Luteijn, Marilyn Farquar
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Deb Silver’s “Mushroom.”

A new season of exhibitions is starting at The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford, showcasing artists early in their careers.

All the artworks and artists will be at an opening party on Friday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m.

While the works vary widely in medium and esthetic, the artists “engage thoughtfully with material and historical narratives, and consider how cultural practices are altered by evolving notions of gender, land, and environment,” says a press release.

Feet Deep in Wet Earth and Watery Pools is the first solo exhibition of Stó:lō artist Deb Silver, who recently graduated with a master of fine arts from Emily Carr University and was a finalist in the 2021 Lind Prize for Emerging Artists in Vancouver.

The exhibition will display a collection of her recent photographic work, which combines her interests in Coast Salish cultural teachings and scientific enquiry. A virtual talk in collaboration with the School of Creative Arts (SOCA) at the University of the Fraser Valley will take place on March 15.

“ਸ਼ੀਸ਼ੇ ‘ਚ ਤਰੇੜ | sheeshe ‘ch thareṛ | a crack in the mirror” is a survey of Surrey-based artist Simranpreet Anand’s recent works, which include collaborative pieces with artist and scholar Conner Singh VanderBeek.

The works draw on materials and conceptions from histories of Punjab and its diasporas, with a focus on familial and cultural community, and “the fissures emerging from her ongoing encounters with matter and material culture in our globalized world.”

The show will be guest-curated by Sajdeep Soomal, and a virtual talk with the artist will take place on March 29 in collaboration with SOCA.

Dona Park, a Korean-Canadian artist based in Abbotsford, will showcase her paintings and digital drawings that celebrate the strength of young people, women, and nature, titled Face to Face.

Her exhibition features works that mark the artist’s journey, highlighting her own hyphenated Asian-Canadian identity, her Korean heritage and the intersection of cultures.

In addition to the above exhibitions, artwork by Emilie Kvist and Cassidy Luteijn, in curatorial debut for Emily Goodbrand, explore concepts of time and memory through experimental printmaking and painting practices. Kairos – An Opportune Time for Action features the quilts created by Marilyn Farquar as a memorial for her brother Barry Shantz, a longtime homeless activist in Abbotsford who was killed in early 2020.

Those interested in attending the opening party are asked to register in advance at thereach.ca or by calling 604-864-8087. Masks and proof of vaccination are required.

RELATED: Culture minister and Abbotsford-Mission MLA tour The Reach Gallery

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Dona Park’s “Intermission”
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Simranpreet Anand’s “Scorched textiles.”