SHERI BAKES | BREATHE

Sheri Bakes | Breathe
October 3-17, 2020
3045 Granville Street, Vancouver

Breathe, West Coast Canadian painter Sheri Bakes' latest body of work meditates on the vulnerability of respiration within the context of recent events. Working with a renewed awareness of the physiological process — a throughline in her practice — the artist considers what it means to breathe and the various metonymies of the expression: to absorb and expel, to speak softly, to create an impression, to inspire action, to give relief, to be alive.

Translated from the world of the mind through her distinct visual language, Bakes' consideration of breathing takes root in the physical realm of Bakes' source imagery, drawn from the scenes around her Vancouver Island home. The windswept imagery of Bakes' abstract landscapes become subject to an emphatic force, its atmospheric motion adopting an intensity of movement while the delicate brushwork of her impressionist style coalesces with sweeping momentum. 

These formal shifts at once signal a personal reflection while offering a sensitive account of the times in which we live. Within the space of canvas surface, Bakes posits the potential of a way to breathe through.

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