GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 06/07/13 -- Library and Archives Canada announces the opening of its travelling exhibition, Beyond Likeness: Contemporary Works from Library and Archives Canada, at the University of Calgary's Nickle Galleries. The exhibition explores the evolving concept of portraiture from more traditional representations of likeness to works that challenge the conventions of the genre.
Beyond Likeness features works by 23 contemporary artists including those by Rosalie Favell, Jane Ash Poitras, Pascal Grandmaison, Lucie Chan and Jerry Grey. The subjects of these portraits range from personalities, such as film director David Cronenberg, artist Bill Reid, author Margaret Atwood, former Saskatchewan Premier Grant Devine, and filmmaker Deepa Mehta, to individual Canadians such as the residents of Richmond, British Columbia.
"Through collaborations, such as the one developed with the Nickle Galleries to present Beyond Likeness, Library and Archives Canada can make original works of documentary art accessible to Canadians across the country," said Herve Dery, Acting Librarian and Archivist of Canada.
With references to history, popular culture, autobiography and the perception of self, the exhibition shows that human identity is complex, constructed and unfixed. Together, the works form a narrative that reveals how character is shaped by personal biography-engaging the artist, the subject and the viewer in an active construction of meaning. The exhibition inspires and enables visitors to form their own opinions of how they perceive images of others and how they would project their own identities.
"The Nickle Galleries is always pleased to expand our programme through outstanding touring exhibitions, and Beyond Likeness is such a show and an opportunity to access this national initiative of Library and Archives Canada," said Christine Sowiak, Curator of the Nickle Galleries. "This is a particularly compelling exhibition, taking a very traditional genre of art and giving it contemporary relevance."
The Nickle Galleries, in Alberta, is hosting the exhibition Beyond Likeness: Contemporary Works from Library and Archives Canada from June 7 to July 27, 2013.
Discover Beyond Likeness: Contemporary Works on the Library and Archives Canada website.
About Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada's mandate is to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations, and to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, thereby contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada. Library and Archives Canada also facilitates co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge, and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.
About the Nickle Galleries
The Nickle Galleries opened at its new signature location on the main floor of the Taylor Family Digital Library in October 2012. The new site provides the more than 13,000 library visitors a day the opportunity to explore the Galleries' exhibitions and programs-free of charge. Formerly known as The Nickle Arts Museum, the Nickle Galleries features three impressive galleries highlighting the best of contemporary art in western Canada and intriguing art and artifacts drawn from the Nickle and the Library's wide-ranging collections.
Contacts:
Richard Provencher
Chief, Media Relations
Library and Archives Canada
819-994-4589
media@bac-lac.gc.ca
Christine Sowiak
Curator of Art
Nickle Galleries
403-220-7234
nickle@ucalgary.ca