Entwined

Unfolding over several spaces of Contemporary Calgary’s iconic building, Entwined brings together works by nineteen artists and collectives from the Prairies and beyond to consider our relationship as humans with the land and all forms of life. Using both natural and manufactured materials and working across different visual media, the artists in this exhibition reflect on urgent issues affecting our ecosystem. They offer converging perspectives on the interdependency of all species, engaging traditional knowledge, mythological beliefs, futuristic imagination, and scientific exploration to articulate artistic strategies that encourage a deeper, empathetic understanding of our connected world. Notions of ecological resilience interlaced with Indigenous worldviews permeate the works of artists like Carrie Allison who addresses deforestation by beading tree rings in memory of those cut to make way for urban development, and Katherine Boyer who focuses on active quarry pits and their impact upon the surrounding ecosystem. Adrian Stimson creates a baby bumblebee regalia to celebrate both ancestral traditions and nature’s reliance on the hardworking bee. The collective tīná gúyáńí protests ongoing settler colonialism and honors connection to the land after forced removal from their home, while Alberta Rose W. / Ingniq considers land relations within the natural landscape and the built environment. Qavavau Manumie’s sensitive drawings reference Inuit legends to highlight the interspecies dependencies that sustain contemporary life. The links between environmental concerns, technologies of image production, and the shaping of collective imaginary underlie Sara Angelucci and Anna Binta Diallo’s works that examine and interpret historical or vernacular sources. Tyler Los-Jones’ images confound preconceived Western assumptions of nature as landscape, exposing the role photography plays in the production and the fulfillment of romantic, anthropocentric expectations. Jennifer Murphy uses found materials assembled into sculptural collages to underline the interconnectedness of our world, revealing wonder, chance, care, strength and evolution. Engaging directly with the materiality of the natural world, Xiaojing Yan highlights the profound bonds we share with the world around us, celebrating the intricate, cyclical nature of life and the ever-present potential for rebirth and transformation. Kuh Del Rosario’s practice is rooted in an intuitive dialogue with everyday materials and organic debris through attuned alchemical processes, cultivating a sensitivity toward evolving ecosystems. Emily Jan crafts hyper-realistic installations of handmade flora and fauna, integrating found objects to compose surreal dioramas that merge science and mythology. Ari Bayuaji recovers plastic materials washed ashore on Indonesian beaches, coaxing them into intricate weavings that transform polluting waste into delicate artworks. Alana Bartol examines resource extraction and concepts of remediation, creating objects, videos and installations that blend research with ritual, stark realities with legends of enchantment, and contemplation with sensorial experience. Herbalist and botanist Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed integrates art with education, providing workshops and tours that seek to reconnect people to nature. In addition, her collaboration with Alana Bartol invites reseeding and recovery of ravaged local flora. Several artists explore visual narratives in digital or traditional forms, including Sabrina Ratté, who uses 3D animation and video synthesis to investigate the boundaries between material and virtual realms, folklore and scientific knowledge. The duo DaveandJenn interlace social and natural histories with subjective and fantastical landscapes in layered multi-media installations, while Sandra Sawatzky creates a monumental, embroidered tapestry, an ode to the biodiversity of Alberta, evoking the cosmic origins of all creation in stardust. Intent on drawing attention to the consequences of human actions on the land, these artists passionately advocate for a reconsideration of prevalent anthropocentric outlooks to prioritize the ecosystem’s survival. As development and industry increasingly encroach on the natural environment and gifts of the land are insatiably exploited as resources, a renewed understanding of kinship becomes vital to rebalance excess with responsibility, self-interest with reciprocity, and individual survival with a drive for a common future.

Curated by Mona Filip.