Winter at Arts Commons

Swing by and envelop yourself with great visual programming

So far, the season might not be snowy and cold, but that doesn’t mean you can’t head inside and go on a tour of the exhibits on display at Arts Commons. From stellar soundscapes to engrossing studio pieces, a winter visit should be on your to do list!

Built, OMIP.PIP, and Membrana Mortis

December 1, 2017 – February 12, 2018
Broadcast Lab, Arts Commons

Featuring three visually powerful short films from Maziar Ghaderi, Emmanuel Ho, and Kyle Whitehead, make sure you swing by one of three screens to take a gander. The films loop throughout the run.
artscommons.ca

Beneath, Site & Studio, Mutable Immobiles, and I Am So Emulsional

December 1, 2017 – February 23, 2018
Window Galleries, Arts Commons (beside Max Bell Theatre)

Water, nature, man-made structures, and ruin explored—don’t miss these four unique exhibits from Cameron Young, Cody Cox, Heather Close, and Sebastian Jarmula. Each one explores unique photographic techniques as well as the relationship between structures, our environment, and our city.
artscommons.ca

Benign Antonyms

December 4, 2017 – February 23, 2018
Ledge Gallery, Arts Commons (+15 level overlooking Centre Court)

Artist-in-Residence Megan Dyck makes clever use of sculpture and textiles to re-contextualize familiar surfaces and forms. Visit throughout her stay to see the project evolve.
artscommons.ca

Silk Screenings

December 5, 2017 – January 31, 2018
Untitled Art Society’s +15 Window

A collection of prints from UAS’ silk screening program, the artists were challenged to brainstorm and gather inspiration from all aspects of their lives including dreams, nature, emotions, memory, and imagination. Presented in partnership with Prospect Human Services, the window includes works by first time practitioners of this form of printmaking.
uascalgary.org

I am sorry (in drag)

December 6, 2017 – January 28, 2018
Stride Gallery’s +15 Window

NIK is a Serbian artist working with performance and mixed-media, finishing the last year of their BFA at the Alberta College of Art + Design. A collaboration with Coven Gallery (592), the piece creates an atmosphere where they can perform as their drag persona, Nikola, while exploring their cultural background.
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vision’s fickle centre, peripheral flicker, denter

December 6, 2017 – January 31, 2018
TRUCK Contemporary Art’s +15 Window

Brett Bonk is working to develop a highly specialized queer methodology and this show explores the idea of afterimages through constellations of materials.
truck.ca

11:13 (Hypnagogia)

January 8 – February 26, 2018
+15 Soundscape, Arts Commons

A synthesizer duo formed by local musicians Barnaby Bennett and Patrick Whitten, SH-2000 creates a calming audio environment that invokes this transitory state of consciousness.
artscommons.ca

+15 Window Galleries Closing Reception

January 18, 2018, 6:00 – 7:00pm
+15, Arts Commons

Celebrate each of the exhibits hosted in the +15 at this closing reception. Artists will be on hand to speak about their work and everyone is invited to head to the Palomino (109 7th Ave. SW) for drinks afterwards (save 15% off your bill by showing a card from one of the exhibitions). Admission is free and all are welcome.

0-3 (Bandera)

January 29 – March 23, 2018
The New Gallery’s +15 Window

Calgary-based emerging artist Miguel Michelena is Venezuelan, American, and Canadian. His work has been based in his multi-cultural background and the current political and social crisis that his home country, Venezuela, is facing. While addressing this matter, he simultaneously raises questions about identity, stereotypes, and the social challenges of being a multinational immigrant.
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The Silence that the Walls Feed Back to Me

February 5 – March 28, 2018
Stride Gallery’s +15 Window

Christina Mathieson examines her role as witness to one’s demise—body mutation, the departed soul, and a levitating spirit—creates a workplace of loss, an intimate relationship to the Grotesque, and a self-reflection on Memento Mori.
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In a Constant State of Flux

February 6 – March 31, 2018
TRUCK Contemporary Art’s +15 Window

Playing with elements of display, illusion, time, and labour, Candice Davies’ In a Constant State of Flux presents mundane objects and occurrences, so that their function, worth, and political utility within the context of the display of art can be called into question.
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Happenings #11

February 12, 2018, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Arts Commons, Mezzanine Level of Centre Court (above Ca’Puccini)

Celebrate all the great creations at the next Happenings—an art party that is free and open to all ages. Head to Arts Commons for a Monday night of hands-on activities, live performances, and so much more.
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Witness

February 12 – March 31, 2018
Untitled Art Society’s +15 Window

A photographic installation that re-examines a recent assault, which took place outside a gay bar in Humboldt Magnussen’s hometown. Through the exhibition, he hopes to create a dialogue about best practices for action when witnessing violence. What
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Ongoing Exhibitions

Recognition… Validation… Reassurance…Art + Mental Wellness

Until January 3, 2018
Lightbox Studio, Arts Commons (beside Martha Cohen Theatre)

A collaboration between artist Dick Averns and the SPARK Disability Arts Festival to utilize spaces in and around Arts Commons, this installation seeks to engage audiences on the topic of mental wellness. Addressing feelings of invisibility and isolation that often accompany mental distress, make sure you swing by while you still can.
artscommons.ca

Dick Averns' Recognition… Validation… Reassurance…Art + Mental Wellness
Dick Averns’ Recognition… Validation… Reassurance…Art + Mental Wellness | Photo: Courtesy of Arts Commons
Pathways

Until January 5, 2018
+15 Soundscape, Arts Commons

A new media art sound installation that takes you on a journey through time and space, Pathways explores the theme of travel, to and from, choices and the journey. Created by Shawn Pinchbeck, the piece was developed through his nomadic lifestyle of living in several cities to teach, create music, perform, and be with family.
artscommons.ca

how many of the things i do are conscious decisions and how many are coping mechanisms

Until January 26, 2018
The New Gallery’s +15 Window

A collaborative trash installation by emily macdonald and caitlin mccann, this work freezes moments of emotional turbulence and identity disturbance caused by mental illness to make them physical.
thenewgallery.org