The Tree
From the Sublime to the Social
Organized and circulated by The Vancouver Art Gallery
October 23 - November 28, 2009
Opening Reception: Sunday, Oct. 25, 4 - 5:30pm
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The Tree: From the Sublime to the Social provides a provocative exploration of the tree’s significance in art spanning time, culture and media. Organized and circulated by the Vancouver Art Gallery the touring exhibition is comprised of over 30 works by 18 local, national and international artists, including Emily Carr, Rodney Graham, Lawren Harris, Jack Shadbolt and Ian Wallace.
The Tree: From the Sublime to the Social includes a wide selection of artistic perspectives focused on the tree as inspiration and a subject of investigation. The works range from photography, oil and acrylic paintings, woodblock, screen print and charcoal drawings, and are selected from the Vancouver Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
The exhibition incorporates historical images of the forest that evoke the grandeur and power of the natural world and includes works by contemporary artists who use the tree as a device to consider abstraction and figuration, as well as to question humankind’s relationship with the natural environment, especially the growing sense of alienation from the natural world. Some artists depict trees as a resource for economic development and the devastating consequences of severe logging practices, while others present life-affirming projects that engaged in both metaphorical and actual tree-planting projects.
