A new exhibition is on its way to the ACT Art Gallery featuring the works of one of Canada’s most recognized and collected artists.
The still life works of Leslie Poole will be featured in the exhibition called Meditations: The Still Lives of Leslie Poole.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Poole is a Vancouver-based artist that has been internationally exhibited. He has had more than 115 solo exhibitions across Canada and the United States – including one-person shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. His work has also been shown in solo exhibitions in numerous Canadian museums and has been purchased for major public, corporate, and private collections from Victoria, B.C., to St. John’s, Newfoundland. He holds a MFA from Yale University.
The exhibition has been curated by guest curator, Dr. Angela Clarke.
Dr. Clarke is the museum director and curator at the Italian Cultural Centre of Vancouver’s Il Museo, and has previously served as an assistant curator at UBC’s Koerner Ceramics Gallery. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia specializing in Italian women, religion and decorative art. Dr. Clarke lectures on textiles and decorative art at academic conferences and community events.
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“Mr. Poole has worked in many styles on the painted canvas – abstract, realism, postmodern – returning to the still life as a means to reflect on the mystery of life,” said Dr. Clarke.
Poole’s subjects are diverse with male and female figures, still life, landscape, and self-portraits – ranging in style from realist to expressionist.
“Whether it is the kitchen where we reach for our daily coffee, or the flowers descending into decay in our vase, the artist urges us to take a deeper look, that each moment is infinite and that the mundane moments of life should be embraced,” added Clarke about Poole’s work.
“This is now truer than ever, as we find ways of appreciating the many moments we are each experiencing as we continue to make our way through the pandemic,” she said.
Curtis Pendleton, artistic and executive director of the ACT Arts Centre is excited to have Dr. Clarke as a guest curator.
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“The ACT is extremely excited to welcome such an esteemed guest curator and a world-class artist to The ACT Art Gallery,” said Pendleton.
”I am inspired by Angela’s willingness to partner with us, her generosity of spirit and professionalism, and her visionary thinking in envisioning new ways to share and promote visual art across the Lower Mainland, in addition to her work at the Italian Cultural Centre,” Pendleton added.
The ACT Arts Centre opened its doors in 2003 and is operated by the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Arts Council.
Meditations: The Still Lives of Leslie Poole will run from Saturday, Jan. 9 to Wednesday, Mar. 31.
Free timed-entry tickets can be pre-booked online at theactmapleridge.org/tickets. Openings are available for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:00am, 11:30am, and 1:00pm. These free admissions are released one week in advance and must be pre-booked online prior to arrival. The Winter Pop-Up Shop is open at the same time and included with the timed-entry tickets.
A public event with the artist and guest curator will be announced later in the exhibition, when The ACT is able to host larger gatherings.
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