The top comes off

The process of de-installing this huge piece involved careful manoeuvring

We need to protect the piece from further damage, but it is not without regret that this has been our only option.The site where the sculpture was positioned only yesterday.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes at the Vancouver Biennale, from the shipment of the sculpture, to the co-ordination of its arrival and eventual installation in Vancouver’s public spaces. Our movers see over this last phase and ensure the sculpture is safely secured.

Richmond Art Gallery Exhibition, In Transition: New Art from India

April 26 2010 – June 13 2010

Opening reception: May 1st, 1-3pm

In collaboration with the Vancouver Biennale, the Richmond Art Gallery will present In Transition: New Art from India, April 26 to June 13.

India is experiencing a period of remarkable growth and transformation. As it is poised to become one of the largest populations in the world over the next decades its artists (like contemporary artists everywhere) are responding to these changes.

With an eye on its past and a view to the future, these artists are examining the social, political, economic and religious implications of becoming a major world economy.

With a rich and complex history that runs centuries deep, India offers its artists a multifaceted and intriguing source of inspiration as modernization meets tradition, the local encounters the global, and cultural norms converge with external forces.

The exhibition will feature installation-based work by some of India’s most recognized contemporary artists: Shilpa Gupta, Reena Kallat, TV Santhosh, Sudarshan Shetty, Thukral and Tagra, and Hema Upadhyay.

Richmond Open Doors: May 1st and 2nd, 2010 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Explore Richmond’s arts, culture and heritage diversity during this two day city-wide free celebration.

Doors Open Richmond will offer free access to over 40 including heritage landmarks, modern structures, hidden gems, places of worship, artist’s studios, museums and national historic sites. Many participating partners will organize guided tours, displays and activities to enrich your experience.

Whether you live in Richmond or you’re a welcome visitor, don’t miss this fascinating chance to discover many special parts of Richmond and its rich history. The doors are open for you to see Richmond like you’ve never seen it before.

We will have volunteers at each of our sculpture sin Richmond from 12-4pm on May 1^st and 2^nd handing out postcards and pins.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

The Vancouver Biennale is expanding its focus from the picturesque waterways of Coal Harbour and English Bay to other locations within the city.

A major theme of the Vancouver Biennale is In-Transit-Ion as we embrace the public transportation systems and the public space around them.  These are the hubs that connect our neighborhoods and communities to each other just as the Canada Line connects Vancouver to the rest of the world via the Vancouver International Airport.

The first installation along Vancouver Skytrain’s brand new Canada Line is entitled History of Loss by Indian artist Sudarshan Shetty.  You can find this piece in the parking lot behind the new Canada Line station at Cambie Street and King Edward.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

More about Sudarshan Shetty‘s ‘History of Loss’.

Plexiglass, aluminum, steel, Sudarshan Shetty, India.

Although inspired by VW Beetle childhood toy cars, the reference here is multitudinous; iconic combustion engine vehicles entombed and dated as artifacts, reflecting the consciousness and worldliness of young Contemporary Indian artists.  Shetty makes his Canadian debut in the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale.

The casts of model aluminum Volkswagen Beetle cars are displayed in clear plexiglass boxes stacked in repeated rows, each marked with a date.  The replicas are miniature, mimicking children’s toy cars, a reference to a childlike desire, and nostalgic memory.   Shetty diligently cast each individual car, identical, perfect and pristine, and then deliberately dropped them one by one from around 300 feet with the sole purpose to damage each one, thereby making each one individualistic.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Shetty describes his process: “The cars were manually smashed by me after being cast from a single mould, thereby representing the notion of their possible crash as an event. The dates on the vestibules represent the dates of possible crashes, but they really represent the dates to the deadline that I had in which to complete the work, which was completed in 42 days.” Shetty’s piece draws attention to the environment damage caused by the combustion engine by placing each vehicle into a coffin-like box, on display as a museum relic or artifact.

Sudarshan Shetty is part of a growing number of young contemporary Indian artists who are garnering international attention for work that breaks with traditional religious iconography, or uses it in new ways.  Shetty makes his Canadian debut in the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale.

For more information visit www.galleryske.com