Beyond depicting a day in the city, Paris Salon is a new art exhibit that will delve into the synergy between the moods of artistic exploration and Bohemian creativity.
The show is set for Landmark Pop-Uptown Gallery at Central Plaza from July 2-26. Opening night will be Saturday, July 9 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
A collaboration between Langley-artist and educator Susan J. Falk, artist and model Kat Siemens and Siemens’ daughter Savannah Browne, who is a photographer and writer, led to the creation of the Paris Salon art exhibit.
Catherine Honeywell, an owner of Five Corners’ Shop Next Door, will also have her upcycled and re-imagined furniture pieces displayed in the gallery, marking the final artist for the show.
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Renewal is the featured theme of the exhibit, the artists shared in a news release issued Wednesday (June 22) – specifically how there’s a sense of emergence from darker times into a blooming of creativity portrayed.
The theme of renewal is especially relevant for Falk, Siemens and Honeywell, whose last collaboration at the Gallery was shut-down in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Now that restrictions have lifted, artists are beginning to emerge once again to share their work, Falk noted.
For this show, Siemens has her eyes set on exploring the world of fast fashion and is taking a sustainable approach to her art. Her work consists of up-cycled fabrics and accessories and found textiles and beading to create fabric art, re-invented clothing and paintings for the exhibit.
“For me it’s very important to promote reusing and up-cycling, if only just for the sake of the planet,” Siemens said.
Browne, on the other hand, favours dark, high-contrast black-and-white imagery in this showcase, taking inspiration from German expression, Victoriana and the 1920s.
“When I heard the title, Paris Salon, a story came into my mind – ‘Sinema Sanguinary’ – that inspired everything else,” Browne said.
“When I think of Paris I think of its sensuality – and that led into a story of vampirism and the ‘vamps’ of the ’20s.”
With her photography, Browne will also be showcasing original collages, calligraphy and written word.
She also uses her knowledge of psychology – she is studying at Vancouver Island University – as inspiration for her art and how she views elements.
“But lurking behind the opulence of the times was a squalor. The psychology of it fascinates me – just how much it was different from now, but also how much it is the same,” she said.
In addition to selling prints of the photography and posters of the collages, Browne also plans to sell the material in ‘zine’ form at the show.
Taking the Parisian-theme a step further, live music to set the ambience will also be featured at the Saturday opening.
Falk, who runs Semiahmoo Arts’ weekly drop-in life drawing classes and will showcase her large oil canvases, describes the exhibit as a “mini-Louvre” from the art-work to be seen to the music to be heard.
Ten per cent of all sales of Falk’s art and art cards will go towards supporting Critter Care Wildlife Society, which is a rehabilitation centre that treats sick, injured and orphaned animals throughout parts of the province.
Landmark Gallery is located at 15140 North Bluff Rd. and will be open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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