A unique exhibit of portraiture will be opening at the ACT Art Gallery.
Five different artists who use portraiture as a method to show the significance of self-representation – whether that be themselves, their families, or communities – will have their work on display in the exhibit called 'Picturing Ourselves'.
The group of artists raise questions about the agency over one's image, how culture and community are represented, and reveal new perspectives of a historical art form.
Artist Cara Guri has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Arts + Design and completed a painting residency at Columbia University. Guri is both a visual artist and a musician of Catalan and Danish descent.
Illustrator and painter Odera Igbokwe has a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design and studied West African Dance and Movement and Theatre Arts at Brown University.
Jake Kimble is a multidisciplinary Chipewyan (Dëne Sųłıné) artist from Treaty 8 territory in the Northwest Territories. Kimble most recently attained a BFA in Photography from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Len Pierre is Coast Salish from Katzie First Nation. Pierre is a professor, consultant, TEDx Speaker, social activist, change agent, and traditional knowledge keeper. He holds a MEd from Simon Fraser University.
Gloria Wong is a visual artist based in Vancouver, who holds a BFA in photography from Emily Carr University of Arts + Design (2020).
The opening reception for 'Picturing Ourselves' Exploring Self-Representation through Portraiture Storytelling is from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the ACT Art Gallery, 11944 Haney Place, downtown Maple Ridge.
The exhibit runs until Saturday, Dec. 21.
