Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant announced their two latest exhibitions on Friday, September 27, 2024.
The first is “Destination Moon”, and it features works from Adam David Brown, Steve Driscoll, Jason McLean, Shelley Niro, Winnie Truong and Jim Verburg.
For centuries, humans have looked skyward and pondered the moon. Cultures around the world considered it the embodiment of a powerful deity that held sway over the creation of life and bountiful harvests. It has been a source of fantasy; we’ve written adventure stories and made sci-fi movies about visiting it, and eventually earthlings did set foot on the lunar surface. We’ve long believed that the moon is an arbiter of our emotions and behaviours. And now, we’re trying to determine how our closest celestial neighbour might play a part in our post-Earth future. The moon may wax and wane, but it seems our fascination with it hasn’t.
The moon has also long been represented in visual art. Artists as varied as Vincent Van Gogh, J. M. W. Turner, Rene Magritte, and Paula Rego have used the image of the moon to create atmospheres and evoke psychological states. This exhibition, “Destination Moon,” brings together works in a range of media by seven Ontario-based artists who use lunar imagery to examine cultural, historical, material, spiritual, and conceptual interests. From Shelley Niro’s photographs that frame the moon’s phases through an Indigenous lens to Adam David Brown’s sculpture that brings moonlight into the gallery space to Winnie Truong’s video and collage works that link feminism with the realms of the natural and supernatural, this exhibition flies visitors to the moon, their imaginations transported, without their feet leaving the ground.
The second exhibit features the Brant Camera Club, who will be presenting more than 60 works by 23 local photographers in an exhibition, which opened on September 28 and will be on display until November 17, 2024.
“This is the first time the club has teamed up with Glenhyrst to hold a public showing of the members’ works,” said Kevin Miller, President of the Brant Camera Club. “We look forward to showcasing our amazing photographers to the people of Brantford and Brant County.”
Matthew Ryan Smith, Glenhyrst Curator, added, “We’re delighted to exhibit photographs created by members of the Brant Camera Club. The City of Brantford, Brant County, and Six Nations of the Grand River hold a rich history of photographic innovation and we look forward to contributing to this legacy through the exhibition. Thank you to the Camera Club for its efforts and we hope that we can continue this collaboration well into the future.”
The Brant Camera Club was founded in 1957 and each year provides about 60 members with the opportunity to improve their photography skills with lectures, hands-on workshops, and photography-focused outings. More information about the club can be found on its website at www.brantcameraclub.com.
There will be an official opening reception for both exhibitions on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00 pm. The public is invited to attend.
