BAG presents Michiko Suzuki: Hope Chests

April 8-June 12, 2016
Opening Reception: May 19, 2016, 7-9pm

The Burnaby Art Gallery (BAG) presents Hope Chests, a large-scale installation produced by Vancouver-based Japanese artist Michiko Suzuki. Depicting eight intimate portraits chronicling the struggles of young women from different cultural backgrounds, the exhibition runs in the upper gallery April 8-May 19, and will expand to the lower gallery May 20-June 12, 2016.

Each portrait is comprised of a silk tent fitted with a table and box containing artwork to serve as a chest of memories–combining photography, digital and traditional printmaking techniques, fabric and intricate collage work. With nods to Japanese traditional customs, material and form–incorporating references to Kiri boxes, shapes reminiscent of kimonos and the use of white silk as in Shinto rituals–the women documented in the series include a victim of war in Cambodia who now lives in Vancouver and a survivor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Suzuki’s work questions contemporary concerns around global politics, human rights, identity and memory.

Suzuki is known for creating large-scale toner-etchings, using a technique she originated and refined. She started this series in the late 2000s and the work was first shown in Tokyo, Japan as part of a group show, Printmaking, eh?: Four Artists Expanding the Boundaries at the Canadian Embassy’s Prince Takamado Gallery, May-September 2012.

Originally from Tokyo, Suzuki graduated from the Musashino Art University to train and work as a Master Printer at Print House/OM Japan. She has exhibited internationally in Canada, Europe and South East Asia in group shows and solo exhibitions. Suzuki first came to Vancouver as an artist-in-residence in 2003 at Capilano College. She has been living and working in Vancouver since 2006.

RELATED EVENTS

In the BAG: Family Sundays
Sunday, May 8, 2016: Ink and Pastel |  1-4pm  | FREE  |  All ages
Opening Reception
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 7-9pm  |  FREE
Artist Tour: Michiko Suzuki
Saturday, May 21, 2016 | 2-3pm  | FREE
In the BAG: Family Sundays
Sunday, June 12, 2016: Collage Portraits |  1-4pm  | FREE  |  All ages
Full-day Art Studio for Homelearners
Friday, June 3, 2016  |  9:30-2:30pm  |  $38  | Suitable for ages 6-14