The Langley Centennial Museum presents Resurface, a mixed media exhibition featuring the graduating Art + Design class of Trinity Western University’s School of the Arts, Media and Culture.
The exhibition explores themes of transformation and renewal. Just as artists’ materials are continually repurposed over time (canvases built up with layers, moulds broken and recast), Resurface experiments with repurposing in evocative pieces such as the multi-layered work by Surrey’s Melissa Alvaro. Melissa’s mixed media piece incorporates drawing and found objects, transforming “trash” like smoothie straws and shopping receipts into a structural exploration of consumerism, recycling, and the definition of luxury.
“I hope that my piece will show how something of no worth can be transformed into something of higher value,” said Melissa, who will be directing her imaginative eye toward digital design and animation work after graduating this spring. “The process of collecting objects for this has revealed how much stuff I have purchased and accumulated—it’s made me reconsider how much I want to consume.”
Rachel Dyck’s piece, which incorporates both sculpture and canvas, has an element of social conscience as well. Inspired by her recent experiences in the Middle East, Rachel’s work reflects on issues of water scarcity and the use of water as a weapon.
The diverse array of works exhibited in Resurface is the culmination of four years of academic study, but as the artists acknowledge in their statement, “This exhibition is not a final surface. What is here will one day be a layer of memory. But now we celebrate the images presently visible, the dialogues currently exchanged, and the artists’ emergence into professional practice.”
The senior studio class has been directly involved in every step of this professional show’s planning and execution. As Melissa puts it, “This is a much-anticipated show that will highlight our growth as artists. It’s been amazing to be a part of this process and see how far each of us has come over the years.”
Melissa and Rachel will exhibit alongside fellow SAMC Art + Design majors Chapman Chan, Chelsea Davidson, Elizabeth Ellis, Katrina Grabowski, Braden Jones, Laura Klassen, and Rebecca Sellers.
Resurface runs March 29 – April 28 at the Langley Centennial Museum, 9135 King Street, Fort Langley. Opening Reception March 29 from 6:30 – 9:00 pm. Presented as part of TWU’s Festival of the Arts, Media and Culture. For more information, visit www.twu.ca/samc or www.langleymuseum.org.