Sylvia Tait is featured in A Generous Spirit: Highlights from the Permanent Collection, a group exhibition honoring the West Vancouver Art Museum's new designation. Curated by Darrin Morrison and Jackie Wong, the exhibition brings together select works from celebrated Canadian artists held within the museum's permanent collection.
A Generous Spirit runs from July 25–September 1, 2018 with a talk and tour hosted on Saturday, August 18 at 2pm.
As a continuation of Jeffrey Milstein's acclaimed Aircraft series, the artist has released six new photographs of hot air balloons. Like his airplanes, Milstein shoots the hot air balloons from directly beneath, capturing them at the precise moment that gives the images perfect balance and symmetry.
"It's a challenging since [the hot air balloons] just follow the wind...I have to find a suitable place ahead of time and hope they come over."
Consistent with the series to date, Milstein meticulously removes the backgrounds in post-production, distilling the image down to the minute details of the aircraft. Captured with the precision of a steady hand and a discerning eye, these exciting new additions to the Aircraft series demonstrate not only the artist's continued fascination with flight, but also his acute awareness of design, colour and symmetry.
It’s the subtleties of blue that entrance me - the evocative, inky blues of velvet, the delicate, thin veils of the sky, or the layered ruffles of a rumbling lake. I’ve always been drawn to water (my studio is on a lake) and the intricacies of blue are cool and contemplative to me.
Wassily Kandinsky wrote of the colour blue in his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art: “The deeper blue becomes, the more urgently it summons man towards the infinite…” Yves Klein, expressing a like-minded sentiment, once stated "Blue is the invisible becoming visible. Blue has no dimensions, it is beyond the dimensions of which other colours partake". When called to speak on the famed pigment which bears his name, Klein would often borrow the words of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard: “First there is nothing, then there is a deep nothing, then there is a blue depth."
Blue has far surpassed the rest of the chromatic spectrum in its saturation of the collective consciousness, bleeding swathes of blue into the vernacular. The colour occupies a liminal space, both material and intangible, it is at once the hue closest to both light and dark. For the Summer Group Exhibition A Deeper Shade of Blue, on view until July 28th, Bau-Xi Gallery has invited gallery artists to participate in a dialogue engaging with the rich art and cultural history of the colour blue and to provide insights on their own personal relationship with the hue and its place in their individual practices.
The colour blue for me has always been a symbol of eternity, of an endless sky and a timeless ocean. I have always been drawn to its beautiful calm and provocative mystery. Blue evokes so many emotions and states of experience.
“Blue is the colour of infinity. Of cloudless skies and deep calm seas. It has no dimensions. Blue is the space between breaths.” – Vicki Smith
“Recently, the colour blue has represented to me the deepest part of the lake and the things moving below the surface that you can't see.” - Mel Gausden
“L’Heure Bleue - the twenty minutes or so before the sun comes up or after it goes down - is one of my favourite times of day. The beauty of the indirect light during those brief periods is as mysterious and evocative as the colour blue itself and can make the ordinary appear extraordinary.” – Jamie Evrard
An exciting new body of work by Katrin Korfmann, created in collaboration with Jens Pfeifer, is now available at Bau-Xi Photo.
Back Stages documents the otherwise unseen world of manufacturing that is essential in the making of artworks and culturally important objects. Working alongside sculptor Jens Pfeifer, Korfmann captures busy production grounds, dye factories, welding workshops, and installation sites. By foregrounding these facilities, she highlights the processes involved in the creation of artwork, from the manufacturing of the materials to the final displayed object.
By drawing focus away from the archetypal ideal of a solitary artistic genius, and shifting it to a broader network of labor, Korfmann and Pfeifer engender a broader field of meaning that extends beyond the frame; the supposed mundanity documented in these scenes is as essential to the work as is artistic genius. Back Stages emphasizes the significance of manufacturing and materials in the world of high art.
Characteristic of Katrin Korfmann’s work to date, these aerial-perspective images are compilations of sequential incidents occurring over time within a single spatial context. Since the late 1990s, Korfmann has exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, alternative art institutions and public spaces. She has been widely collected in both private and public collections such as the ING Art Collection, European Patent Office and the Robert Bosch Foundation.
Originally from Germany, Korfmann lives and works in Amsterdam, and is a tutor at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.
Click here to view more work Katrin Korfmann
Stainless Steel, Xiamen. Archival Inkjet Print. Limited editions at 47x68 inches.
Chouara, Fes. Archival Inkjet Print. Limited editions at 47x68 inches.
Teylers, Haarlem. Archival Inkjet Print. Limited editions at 47x68 inches.
Ballet Rehearsal, Amsterdam. Archival Inkjet Print. Limited editions at 57x39 inches.
Rietveld Academie, Netherlands. Archival Inkjet Print. Limited editions at 68x47 inches.
The rich colour and playful energy of Janna Watson's paintings interject a sense of whimsy into the luxury villas of JW Marriott's recently opened hotel in downtown Vancouver.
Developed by Parq Vancouver's design team, the sophisticated interior schemes of the villas pair beautifully with expressive brushwork and free form abstraction of Watson's work. Placed at strategic locations throughout the villas to create visual impact, the inclusion of original artwork offers a dramatic counterpoint against the backdrop of Vancouver's False Creek.
Thank you to Parq Vancouver for collaborating with us on this excellent project.
We are thrilled to announce that internationally acclaimed Bau-Xi photographers Jeffrey Milstein and Michael Wolf will have their work featured on the cover of Civilization, The Way We Live Now, written by Bill Ewing and Holly Roussell Perret-Gentil. This publication will feature work by 140 contemporary photographers and will be published in conjunction with a traveling museum exhibition by the same title. Civilization, the exhibition, will open at the National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea, and will tour to different locations around the globe.
Jeffrey Milstein, Newark 8 Terminal B, Newark, NJ
Two editions of the Civilization book will be published. The first is an exhibition catalogue featuring Jeffrey Milstein's Newark 8 Terminal B, Newark, NJ (image above), which will be available for sale at each exhibiting museum. Milstein captured this spectacular aerial depiction of Newark Liberty International Airport from a helicopter in flight. Characteristic of his aerial series to date, the image is remarkably detailed and perfectly symmetrical, offering a detailed study of the intricate workings of the structure below. The artist has placed a hold on this highly sought-after image until September 2018.
Michael Wolf, Architecture of Density 91.
The second version of the book will be available for sale in bookstore and online in Fall 2018. This edition features Michael Wolf's Architecture of Density 91 on the cover - image above. Known for its cropped studies of dense urban landscapes, Michael Wolf's ‘Architecture of Density’ series captures Hong Kong’s highly compressed, often brutal, architectural style. By eliminating the sky and horizon line to flatten each image, Wolf turns the architectural façades into seemingly never-ending abstractions.
The exhibition is produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography in collaboration with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea. The associated publication will be released in October 2018 in English by Thames & Hudson; in German by Knesebeck; in Italian by Einaudi ; in Korean by Youlhwadang. The museum edition is produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography.
To view all works by Jeffrey Milstein, click here.
To view all works by Michael Wolf, click here.
The Scottish National Gallery has acquired Jeffrey Milstein's 49 Commercial Jets for their permanent collection, and has selected it to feature in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, their current exhibition at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery. This is their first acquisition of work by the acclaimed American photographer.
49 Commercial Jets is a composite image that Milstein created in 2007. It consists of photographs of jets landing at the Los Angeles International Airport, which Milstein's favourite location for shooting aircrafts. This image is part of Milstein's acclaimed series, “Aircraft: The Jet as Art” that was exhibited in a year-long solo show at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC from November 2011 – November 2012.
Click here to learn more about the exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It runs until January 13, 2019.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE WORK BY JEFFREY MILSTEIN
Jeffrey Milstein’s recent publication LANY has just received two awards: the Applied Arts Magazine 2018 Photography and Illustration Annual Competition and the Communication Arts Magazine 2018 Photography Annual Competition.
Shot from a helicopter in flight, Milstein's aerial photographs of Los Angeles and New York offer captivating visual juxtapositions of East and West coast architecture. The photographer's aerial perspective provide detailed studies of the urban grid; they are compelling compositions that also reveal the patterns of place respective to each locale.
We are pleased to share four new images by Toronto-based photographer Virginia Mak. These portraits of solitary figures are soft in focus and exemplify Mak's use of Vermeer-like light values, blurring the boundary between photography and painting.
Mak was born in Hong Kong. After graduating with a Philosophy Degree from the University of Calgary, she went on to study Photography at the Ontario College of Art. Mak has exhibited her work internationally. She is a recipient of project, exhibition and travel grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her work has been written about in the Calgary Herald, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail; and featured in magazines such as Prefix and PhotoLife. Mak's photographs can be found in public and private collections in North America and Hong Kong.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE WORK BY VIRGINIA MAK 
Untitled 13
Limited editions at 28x28 and 48x48 inches
Untitled 14
Limited editions at 28x28 and 48x48 inches
Untitled 15
Limited editions at 28x28 and 48x48 inches
Untitled 16
Limited editions at 28x28 and 48x48 inches
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE WORK BY VIRGINIA MAK
Refracted Mystic Topaz by Kristofir Dean, courtesy of Ian Tan Gallery
7th Annual South Granville ArtWalk
Saturday, June 16, 2018, 10am-5pm
Granville Street from 6th Ave to 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC
Vancouverites and visitors are all invited to this fabulous, creative event, where they can wander up and down Granville Street and partake in artist talks, have refreshments, and attend over 10 different art exhibitions spread across the South Granville neighbourhood.
Join Bau-Xi for an exciting day filled with art and activities courtesy of our neighbourhood partners alongside Gordon Wiens' Nature Transformed.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AT BAU-XI VANCOUVER
This year, participating galleries include:
Uno Langmann Limited
Kimoto Gallery
Elissa Cristall Gallery
Heffel Fine Art Auction House
Ian Tan Gallery
Douglas Reynolds Gallery
Marion Scott Gallery
Kurbatoff Gallery
Bau-Xi Gallery
For a growing schedule of activities during ArtWalk visit: http://www.southgranville.org/artwalk
Thank you to the 2018 South Granville Art Walk sponsors:
RBC
South Granville Business Improvement Association
Preview Magazine - Guide to Galleries and Museums
Thank you to the Bau-Xi Gallery Event Partners:
Blue Ruby Jewellery
Granville Island Florist
Hills Dry Goods
L'Occitane
Small Victory Bakery
The Rise Eatery
About South Granville's Gallery Row
Today, South Granville has the highest concentration of fine art galleries in Vancouver, its legacy as gallery row is cemented as it continues to thrive a half century since its founding. Several new galleries have moved into the area since our first ArtWalk, adding to our reputation as the only area in the city where one can tour the full breadth of artwork available in Vancouver. Our galleries offer a diverse range of art including: Canadian and International conceptual, European modernism and old masters, historical and emerging Canadian art including photography as well as two galleries devoted to First Nations and Inuit work. The special events organized for this one-day-only affair draw art enthusiasts and collectors alike out to admire works by seasoned masters and to discover emerging young talents.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about your process? What materials do you use to create the rich texture in your work?
Recently I have been creating rough drawings as a starting point for some of my paintings, based on the essence of weathered objects that I have found on beaches or elsewhere. Sometimes an idea for a new painting emerges from a previous painting.
The beginning of each painting tends to be loosely based on a feeling I have in relation to an eroded object or a fragment of nature such as a rock or a withered flower. I start making marks and textures on a canvas based on a shape or colour. Throughout the process, I think about form, texture and colour and apply multiple layers of acrylic paint and various mediums to canvas. Ultimately, the painting dictates its own direction as the process of painting progresses. The layers build to create a sense of depth and dimension, leading to the final patina and structure of each painting.
2. Do you see your works as unique or as part of a series?
While there is definitely continuity in my work as it evolves over time, this series represents a new body of work. 
3. Do any particular lived experiences or memories, if any, inform your work?
I don’t rely on specific experiences and memories to inform individual paintings. Cumulative memories of my experiences in nature do play a role, however, I rely more on the objects and fragments of nature that I collect and keep in my studio.
4. Upon viewing the work in ‘Nature Transformed’, one is reminded of the Japanese aesthetic principle of wabi-sabi: a worldview that centers on the acceptance of transience, impermanence and imperfection. How consciously are you thinking about this idea of wabi-sabi? Is it an artistic practice as well as a personal or spiritual practice for you, too?
Wabi-sabi values and aesthetic principles resonate strongly with me and have a significant influence on my work. I’m very conscious of these ideas when I am painting and over time I have incorporated them into my way of working and my personal aesthetic.
While this is a predominant perspective for me, I have multiple sources of inspiration and reference for my work, including the work of other abstract painters.
Inside the artist's studio with Eddie the dog
5. Which necessities do you require when making art?
For me, the basic necessities are simply a space to work in, the materials I need, and regular dedicated time.
6. Your previous body of work took some reference from hard edge abstraction with an emphasis on structured linear patterns, why the departure?
I didn’t make a conscious decision to depart from structured linear patterns, the shift flowed naturally through the process of working. My recent paintings still include structured hard-edged forms and I see this change as a transition that evolved, rather than a complete departure from earlier work.
Each of my paintings is, in a sense, an experiment and new ways of working happen both by accident and through purposeful changes to the ways that I apply paint. My current work represents new interpretations of elements of nature with forms in the initial layers that are looser and more spontaneous. I have no way of knowing how my paintings will evolve over time.
VIEW NEW WORK BY GORDON WIENS
Janna Watson, Two Adam Apples in Paradise., 36x36 in., $4,600
Sought-after Toronto artist, Janna Watson, was recently featured on The Jealous Curator podcast. Host Danielle Krysa and Watson discuss the artist's introduction to abstraction, her first big break in the art world and how she prepares for her sell-out shows today. Click here to listen to the full episode and to learn more about what Watson's work means to her. Janna Watson will be exhibiting all new work June 9th at Bau-Xi Gallery Toronto.
Janna Watson, Between: Held Space, 60x48 in., $8,400
Janna Watson, Being on a Swing is a Solo Act, 36x36 in., $4,100
Artist Janna Watson with The Jealous Curator, Danielle Krysa
UPCOMING EXHIBITION: Patterns of Up and Down June 9-23, 2018