In All Directions - mixed meda by Perry Rath
The Smithers Art Gallery's October exhibition, "In All Directions", showcases the inspiring and thought-provoking mixed-media artwork of renowned local artist and teacher Perry Rath, displaying work which has been exhibited in venues around the world but which has not yet been seen in the Bulkley Valley.
“In All Directions” exemplifies the wide variety of art that Perry produces, illustrating how his creative pursuits have gone in all directions. The exhibition title also suggests that his work has been exhibited in all directions out from his homebase in Smithers. Further, it references his interest in maps and directional orientation within his paintings.
Exhibition dates: September 27 - October 22, 2011.
Opening reception: Meet the artist at our opening reception on Friday September 30, from 7-9pm. All welcome - admission is free and the appetizers are delicious!
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 4pm (regular winter hours are back!)
For more information: Contact the Gallery at info@smithersart.org, (250) 847-3898
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Since graduating in Fine Art from the University of Guelph in 1995, Perry Rath has been pursuing artistic projects in a variety of international venues.
Rath’s practice has taken a few different directions and series, encompassing installations, objects/artifacts, paintings, printmaking, collaborations and education. These projects have consistently demonstrated an important sensitivity to materials, and explore the interplay of the idea and the materials, where process is as important as intent. In his work, Rath seeks visual and conceptual relationships of memory, renewal, presence/absence, history, time, place and communication.
His distinctive paintings explore the range of patterns that humans rely upon to comprehend inner and outer environments. They suggest echoes of recognizable forms that emerge from layers of texture and colour to create an elemental atmosphere. Drawing on botanical and geological motifs, maps, photographs and cultural iconography, these elements are assembled in a painterly way, juxtaposing geometric divisions with organic undulations. Within these works is a fascination by all that is held within the
landscape and the maps of that territory – the stories, the routes, the changes, the tragedies, and the reverence.
Employing and manipulating found and fabricated objects and organic materials, Rath sets up evocative installations and artifacts which explore the passage of time, in particular the interchange of presence and absence, ephemerality and permanence.
A recent collaboration of interest is with Rhodes scholar and author Jane Tolmie, a professor at Queens University in Kingston, Ont. Rath has been producing visual images to accompany text centered on a variable character ‘Vole’, referencing historical and contemporary literary works. This is the exhibition debut of this ongoing body of work, with aspirations to tour it and become a publication.
For over 15 years, Rath has exhibited across Canada, and internationally in Australia, India, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary and the US. In 2004, his artwork attracted the attention and praise of Adrienne Clarkson during her tenure as the Governor-General of Canada, and was published in the survey book New Art International from New York in that same year. In 2007, he completed a book project with fellow Bulkley Valley poet Sheila Peters, entitled The Weather from the West, published by Creekstone Press. Rath was included in the 2010 exhibition-in-print publication Lateral Learning: Collaboration and Community as a Form of Pedagogy, produced by Vantage Art Projects in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic Games. BC Parks unveiled a new sign in 2010 for the Driftwood Canyon Revitalization Project featuring one of Rath’s paintings, paired with a poem from Peters. The installation “I Will Be With You Again (Everything That Fades Away is Beautiful)”, which was first exhibited in Smithers in 2002, became the cover of the academic text Laments for the Lost: Grief and Mourning in Medieval Literature, published by Brepols Press, Brussels.
Born in Sarnia, Ontario in 1971, Rath was brought up in an artistic and cosmopolitan environment. With parents who travelled internationally, he was exposed to a wide range of cultures and their arts. In addition, his creative side was encouraged by his artist grandfather. Rath has lived near Smithers since 2002, living rurally with his wife and two young sons amongst chickens, llamas, and a variety of mountain wildlife. He has been teaching art at Smithers Secondary School since 2006.
Educational highlights include being part of receiving the BC Retired Teacher’s Association Golden Star Award for the project “Honouring Our Elders”, a series of student murals of Elders, on view outside Smithers Secondary School at the Della Herman Theatre entrance. He also assisted in getting student murals displayed on Main St., and Alex Cuba-inspired creative logos plastered around town in support of our Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning hometown musician. Among his many workshops over the years, Rath was invited to lead one on “Garbage Art” at the UN International Children’s Conference on the Environment in 2002.