February Exhibitions
Fall in love with art this February
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s jam-packed with visual arts at galleries across Calgary and as part of festivals like Exposure and Chinook Blast.
There is tons to choose from so let our February roundup guide you!
Chinook Blast
January 27 – February 12, 2023
Various venues
Free to explore
Calgary’s winter festival celebration, Chinook Blast has the best of local arts on display, including the Light and Art Walk, multiple art and craft markets, pop-up galleries and much more!
chinookblast.ca
Sculpt
February 1 – 26, 2023
Framed on Fifth (1207 5th Ave. NW)
Free to explore
As part of the Exposure Photography Festival, Framed on Fifth brings Sculpt, in which Lee Nordbye explores the Canadian Rockies from the valley floor to the summits of its magnificent peaks.
framedonfifth.com
Since We Saw You Last: the 4th Annual Postcard Fundraiser
February 16 – 18, 2023
TRUCK Contemporary Art (2009 10th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Since We Saw You Last supports critical programming at TRUCK through the sale of small, postcard-sized original works generously donated by artists. This year’s artworks also include small-scale sculptures.
truck.ca
Art for Ukraine
February 2 – 18, 2023
Jamieson Place (2nd Floor, 308 4th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Local artist Carol Cowan has generously donated 50 pieces of her art to go up for silent and live auction, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council.
eventbrite.ca
David Garneau: Métissage
February 2 – April 22, 2023
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (2500 University Dr. NW)
Free to explore
Edmonton-born artist David Garneau documents his Métis heritage and his struggle to shape a contemporary Indigenous identity. With imagination, wit and some ambivalence, this exhibition of more than 50 artworks celebrates historical and contemporary Métis lived experiences.
nickle.ucalgary.ca
The Birth of Portraiture
February 2 – April 22, 2023
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (2500 University Dr. NW)
Free to explore
This exhibition explores the life of Alexander the Great and his successors through their portraits on ancient coins. Tiny masterpieces of Hellenistic art, these coins record likenesses and suggest the distinct personalities of their subjects.
nickle.ucalgary.ca
After Holbein – Turkish Carpets and the Tudors
February 2 – April 22, 2023
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (2500 University Dr. NW)
Free to explore
Hans Holbein the Younger, a 16th-century artist, famously painted portraits of Henry VIII and other nobles and frequently included richly patterned Turkish carpets. Curator Michele Hardy offers a selection of these carpets and explores how they signalled power and wealth.
nickle.ucalgary.ca
Last Chance + Ongoing Exhibitions
Exposure 2023
Until February 25, 2023
Various venues
Free to explore
Exposure has over 30 shows that display a wide range of narratives, subjects, practices and explorations of the photographic medium. Don’t miss an exciting and diverse program of group and solo exhibitions!
exposurephotofestival.com
Manifesting the Hidden
Until February 25, 2023
ASA Gallery, Crossroads Art Centre (222, 1235 26th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
The Alberta Society of Artists presents the group exhibition The Artist’s Lens 2023: Manifesting the Hidden, featuring the work of 16 Alberta artists who were asked to explore ideas of the hidden and intangible in photography or to incorporate a photographic element.
albertasocietyofartists.com
Residue
Until March 3, 2023
Alberta Printmakers Main Gallery (4025 4th St. SE)
Free to explore
Residue is a collaborative installation by artists Andrew Testa and Guillermo Trejo, who are interested in the in-between spaces of printmaking. In their practices, they see collaboration as a necessity.
albertaprintmakers.com
Memory & Dreams
Until March 8 2023
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (1415 14th Ave. NW)
Free to explore
Memories often change and, like dreams, can reveal unexpected subconscious realities. Do dreams reflect memories? A number of Alberta artists examine this topic from their own unique perspectives in this group exhibition.
norberghall.com
The Beyond Within
Until March 11, 2023
Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta University of the Arts (1407 14th Ave. NW)
Free to explore
Toronto-based artist Annie MacDonell explores feminist conceptions of everyday as a basis for political engagement. A series of video installations and photographic works, this exhibition proposes personal and political reorientation strategies.
auarts.ca
One By One
Until March 26, 2023
Leighton Art Centre (282027 144th St. West, Millarville)
By donation
Ceramic artist Juliana Rempel explores the bold lines and colour of the prairies, allowing objects to emerge from the shadows, posed and poised. The exhibition’s feature installation illustrates how our environment can be deconstructed into pieces accumulated over time.
leightoncentre.org
In Full Bloom
Until March 30, 2023
ATB Branch for Arts + Culture (102 8th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
In Full Bloom is a celebration of artwork by and about women. This exhibition, curated by Miriam Fabijan, features the artworks of 14 amazing women from Calgary. The exhibition reception will be held on March 8th — International Women’s Day.
drive.google.com
Astral Dance
Until April 9, 2023
Contemporary Calgary (701 11th St. SW)
Free to explore
Astral Dance is the first solo exhibition of works by Chitra Ganesh in Canada, and a significant survey of her practice. Ganesh delivers fantastic, dreamlike worlds where the past, present and future are merged into new, speculative propositions.
contemporarycalgary.com
A Time for Stories
Until April 14, 2023
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (425 9th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
As part of a rotating exhibition of artworks that feature connections to the land, this exhibition features 2D, 3D and sound artworks by Shirley Hill, Amy Hill and Sonny-Ray Day Rider.
calgary.ca
Human Capital
Until April 16, 2023
Contemporary Calgary (701 11th St. SW)
Free to explore
Human Capital presents work that offers insight into the impact of Canada’s immigration policies and history: how it treats humans as capital, and the role it plays in shaping the complex and contested formation of a Canadian identity.
contemporarycalgary.com
Retainers of Anarchy
Until April 16, 2023
Glenbow at The Edison (2nd Floor, 150 9th Ave. SW)
Free to explore, tickets required
Experience the mesmerizing 25-metre hand-drawn animation from artist Howie Tsui. The exhibition showcases Tsui’s talent at bringing together martial arts characters and techniques with social and political realities of present-day Hong Kong.
glenbow.org
The Visitors
Until April 30, 2023
Esker Foundation (4th Floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Ragnar Kjartansson creates performances exploring the intertwining of pathos, humour and collective emotion. The Visitors is a large installation consisting of nine audio and video channels documenting a single-take musical performance.
eskerfoundation.com
Interiors
Until April 30, 2023
Esker Foundation (4th Floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Margaux Williamson is a painter who also writes and makes videos. Within her multifaceted practice, Williamson’s painting has evolved through long rhythms; her bodies of work have been produced over the years.
eskerfoundation.com
We Were Here: Stories from Early Chinatown
Until April 30, 2023
Gasoline Alley Museum, Heritage Park (1900 Heritage Dr. SW)
$4.95 – 9.95
Bring your family and learn about Chinese history on the prairies through art and imagination, discover fictional stories written by members of the Chinese community and explore two iterations of Chinatown in Calgary.
heritagepark.ca
11,104 Days: From Artists to Zenith
Ongoing
Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art (730 11th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
In honour of its 30th anniversary, 11,104 Days: From Artists to Zenith displays each of Newzones’ represented artists, including spectacular new work created by gallery artists in celebration of this milestone.
newzones.com
Music & Wellness
Ongoing
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (850 4th St. SE)
With admission
Check out National Music Centre’s new permanent Music & Wellness exhibition, which taps into the power of music on mental and physical health through a series of powerful video interviews that create an immersive sense of personal conversation.
studiobell.ca
Canadian Music Hall of Fame 2022 Inductee: Deborah Cox
Ongoing
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (850 4th St. SE)
With admission
This exhibition celebrates the life and career of 2022 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Deborah Cox, the first Black woman to receive this national honour, through a larger-than-life Hall of Fame magazine-style spread.
studiobell.ca
Have a visual arts event that’s not listed? Email us at events@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or fill out this form.
