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cover image The Edition, cover pageArtwork images courtesy of Winsor Gallery and artists.

Edition images courtesy of Alex Quicho and Sunshine Frère.

the edition 2014

featuringFiona Ackerman

Bill AndersonBradley HarmsBrian HowellGary Pearson

Published in conjunction with the launch of The Edition

Winsor GalleryDecember 4, 2014

Following in the tradition of artist editions that aim to encourage a culture of collecting – such as London’s The Multiple Store, New York’s Aspen Magazine, and Vancouver’s own Portfolio Prize – The Edition is an affordable introduction to art acquisition. It is a folio of five contemporary works produced in a closed edition of 15.

Works in the edition include abstract forms by painters Bradley Harms and Fiona Ackerman, whose bright pop playfulness belies their deep engagement with painting’s legacy. Harms’ hot pink composition is built from cut-away pieces of larger works, demonstrating the cyclical nature of his practice. Ackerman uses painted paper and mirrors to create and arrange a real physical space that is transformed into an abstract composition through photography.

Photographers Brian Howell and Bill Anderson also feature in The Edition. Known for approaching micro-cultures of America with equal parts rigorous conceptualism and photojournalistic boldness, Howell reminds us of the fading glory of the West with his photographic print, “Neon Graveyard.” Meanwhile, Bill Anderson’s interest in representing perception is extended to his interpretation of the colour-blind test, “A is for Aesthetic.”

Last but not least, painter Gary Pearson brings his noir narratives to a local environment. In his signature gritty style, Pearson’s copperplate etching, “Okanagan Lake” replaces the idyllic lakeside view with a voyeuristic glimpse of the colourful characters that frequent its shores.

the edition 2014

Untitled, 2014. Archival inkjet print on paper, edition of 15. 20 x 16”

fiona ackerman

Originally from Montreal, Fiona Ackerman is a painter living and working in Vancouver, BC. Since completing her BFA through Concordia and Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Ackerman has exhibited across Canada and in Europe.

While Ackerman’s work is diverse in style, it is deeply rooted in the practice of painting. Whether working on a wild abstract piece or a delicately rendered portrait, her approach is at once playful and meticulous. Through her painting, Fiona is continually reinventing the way she represents her world, her environment and the places of her imagination.

With this print, Fiona Ackerman marries her colourful abstract painting with her studio paintings series. Using painted paper and mirrors; Fiona creates and arranges a real physical space, which she then transforms into an abstract composition using photography.

A is for Aesthetic, 2014. Archival inkjet print on paper, edition of 15. 12.5 x 12.5”

bill anderson

Bill Anderson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he now lives in Vancouver, B.C.

The force behind Bill Anderson’s images is born out of a desire to harmonize elements often avoided in the search for a perfect, or untroubled brand of beauty, and to explore examples of the individual’s interaction with the environment. With aesthetics being a primary concern, and as with overcoming the mechanical limitations of a more conventional photographic approach, Anderson has re-established spatial, tonal, and color relationships by interpreting each important element separately. And so, once reconstructed, the paradoxes of near and far, the manufactured and the organic, the transient and the immutable, combined to create a new context and a heightened sense of place.

In this print, Anderson’s interest in representing perception is extended to a reinterpretation of the colour-blind test.

Untitled, 2014. Archival inkjet print on paper, edition of 15. 18 x 13”

bradley harms

For the past number of years, Bradley Harms has taken a leading role in a new and forward-looking wave of Canadian abstraction, building upon traditions within the medium, while creating work that both reflects and critiques contemporary social and technological developments. Harms’ work addresses the manner in which we perceive painting, manipulating the ideas of surface, form, and our notion of perfection.

In this print, Harms’ hot pink composition is built from cut-away pieces of larger works, demonstrating the cyclical nature of his practice. The precision of the lines hints at technology, where the repeated gesture forms elaborate and complex systems, flipping between surface assertion and spatial invitation.

Neon Graveyard, 2014. Archival inkjet print on paper, edition of 15. 20 x 16”

brian howell

Brian Howell graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical University in Toronto in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Photography. His contemporary photographic work examines vernacular expressions of shifting societal and personal values. Howell’s subjects are drawn from fringe, or marginalized communities; people and places resonant with allegorical meanings for an age that seems to Howell both broken and blinded. Howell’s photographic series build on the truth-telling mantra of an earlier era of documentary photojournalists though are given structure and further meaning by a more rigorous contemporary conceptual framework.

Known for approaching micro-cultures of America with equal parts rigorous conceptualism and photojournalistic boldness, Howell reminds us of the fading glory of the West with his photographic print, “Neon Graveyard.”

View of Okanagan Lake, 2014. Copperplate etching on archival paper, edition of 15. 10 x 10”

gary pearson

Okanagan Lake is the primary geographical feature of the central Okanagan. Stretching from Vernon in the north to Penticton in the south it is large body of fresh water flanked on each side by hillsides dotted with Ponderosa Pine, sagebrush, grass, and rock surfaces. Housing development has flourished on buildable sites on the hillside as it might advantage of view of the lake. For very good reason, as the lake is an attractive feature and always supplies a variety of viewing options including boats and weather system activity, and aesthetic rewards. Okanagan Lake is a much enjoyed and photographed subject for residents and visitors alike.

My print titled View of Okanagan Lake replaces the view with the viewer. In effect it is a representation of looking, of spectatorship. The man and women seen in the print are indicative of the public who look at the lake from an elevated location or from lakeside. The production aesthetic of the etching is loose and gritty emphasizing the width of engraved line, weight of blacks, and the light tones that inflect the white paper surface. The subject matter is rendered in a caricatured style to further the compositions expressive values.

— gary pearson