Opening on July 25th – Brenda Draney: Drink from the River
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is pleased to announce its latest exhibition, Drink from the River, featuring the work of Edmonton-based artist Brenda Draney.
A previous winner of the RBC Painting Competition and an artist short-listed for the 2016 Sobey Art Award, Brenda Draney’s exhibition, Drink from the River, features work that delve into the complex questions around the notion of intimacy and vulnerability.
“The soft images in her paintings are familiar, like cars, people, and rooms with furniture, but it’s clear the people and places are close to the maker’s memory,” shared Jessica Groome, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.
Sifting through images culled from her own personal archive, her memory, and the Internet, Draney refers to figures and moments that have shaped her lived experiences.
Throughout the exhibition, Drink from the River, suggests that what is truly intimate can also be truly horrific; that what is buried away can be agonizing. Oftentimes, these hauntings and sufferings can lead to a private understanding of oneself, independent of any cultural code. But to begin healing, we must be willing to drink from the river.
Draney hopes her exhibition “invites viewers to constantly reconsider what we think we know and what we remember.”
Brenda Draney: Drink from the River
Thursday, July 25th, 2024
Virtual Artist Talk at 5:00 pm (view in person at the Gallery)
Opening Reception with refreshments from 6:00 – 8:00pm.
Location: Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Both events are free and open to the public.
Drink from the River will be on view until Sunday, January 5th, 2025. LEARN MORE about Drink from the River.
Exhibition Generously Supported by Christine and Murray Quinn.
The exhibition was curated by Jacqueline Kok.
Jacqueline Kok is the 2021–23 Nancy McCain & Bill Morneau Curatorial Fellow at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Kok’s curatorial research pursues the political and social potentials of space through a deep exploration of the dialectical relationship among the bodies within it.
Brenda Draney: Drink from the River is initiated, organized, and circulated by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery (Toronto) in collaboration with The Arts Club of Chicago; Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton); and the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.
