Political protest meets classical literature in the newest exhibition at Burnaby Art Gallery.
The gallery is inviting people in for Reading Art, running from Sept. 25 to Jan. 17.
The exhibition features works that draw inspiration from political protest, as well as classical literature such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Marcel Proust’s Swann in Love.
In order to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines, the gallery is allowing viewing with reduced capacity and by advance appointment.
Reading Art, curated by Ellen van Eijnsbergen and Jennifer Cane, features pieces from the gallery’s permanent collection and those on loan. It includes works from a diverse array of artists from the past century, including John Baldessari, Salvador Dali, Enn Erisalu, General Idea, Guerrilla Girls, Angela Grossmann, Jenny Holzer, Clare Leighton, Micah Lexier, Jane Ash Poitras, Jack Shadbolt, Janice Toulouse and Joyce Wieland, among others.
“The exhibition in the lower gallery gives viewers an opportunity to consider the role that language has played in contemporary art,” said van Eijnsbergen, the gallery’s director and curator, in a press release. “In the upper gallery, we invite guests to explore how literature is illustrated through an artistic response.”
A curator’s talk in conjunction with the exhibition is set for Sunday, Oct. 18, with sessions at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Visitors can join van Eijnsbergen and Cane for an in-depth tour.
The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. To make an appointment to view the exhibition or to sign up for the curator’s talk, call 604-297-4422. You can also sign up for the curator’s talk via the city’s online registration system, www.burnaby.ca/webreg.
For more information, see www.burnabyartgallery.ca.
