Burnaby Arts Council set to host two new exhibitions in May

Deer Lake Gallery is taking a look at the relationship between nature and the constructed world in tandem exhibitions next month.

The Burnaby Arts Council’s gallery – which is currently hosting its Luminescence exhibition until April 25 – will be closed for a few days for exhibition turn-around. On May 1, it opens a pair of new exhibitions: Instinction, by David Righton, and Human: Nature by Kevin Lanthier.

A write-up from the gallery notes Righton’s work uses acrylics, bright colours and multi-layering techniques to present a story of nature meeting modern life.

“The world around us is made up of many different, complex layers. These layers are interwoven amongst each other such that they become defined by the relationships between them,” the write-up says. “We try to make sense of those layers by distilling them into pieces and recombining them into narratives.”

Alongside Righton’s work, viewers can also take in Lanthier’s exploration of day-to-day life for several commonly found species of wildlife as seen in tableau – “not unlike the dioramas in natural history museums, but updated for the reality of their new habitats,” as the gallery notes.

“As human activity alters and controls more of the earth’s surface, wildlife are forced to adapt. Some species are displaced from these areas, some live at the fringe, and others become full-time residents of what we tend to think of as ‘our’ spaces,” the write-up says. “As their behaviour adjusts, it can seem as though these non-human neighbours of ours take on some of our own patterns and characteristics, reflecting our own nature back to us. We’re also forced to re-examine what ‘natural habitat’ now even means for many of them.”

The gallery notes viewers will have a chance to consider the dialogue between the two shows, looking at such questions as: How do we view the relationships between the natural and modern world? How do we, as individuals, instinctively make sense of the world around us with regards to this relationship?

Deer Lake Gallery is at 6584 Deer Lake Ave. The two exhibitions are set to run from May 1 to 30. In line with the gallery’s COVID-19 protocols, visitors need to book a slot ahead of time. Sign up online, by email or by phone at 604-298-7322.

Both artists will also be on hand on Saturday, May 8 for a 2 p.m. Zoom talk.

Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
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