[BCMA] [MEDIA RELEASE] BOMBHEAD opens at Kelowna Art Gallery

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

For Immediate Release

BOMBHEAD opens at Kelowna Art Gallery

BOMBHEAD is organized and circulated by the Vancouver Art Gallery
March 20 to July 18, 2021

March 18, 2021 - Kelowna, BC: The threat of nuclear weapons has been a subject explored by artists ever since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Arguably, nothing else has had as profound a cultural and ecological impact as the emergence of the atomic age.

It is this thread that ties together BOMBHEAD, a thematic exhibition organized by art historian John O'Brian and circulated by the Vancouver Art Gallery. It opens to audiences at the Kelowna Art Gallery beginning this weekend.

The exhibition takes its intriguing title from a photomontage of the same name by the American artist Bruce Conner. BOMBHEAD brings together a diverse selection of paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photographs, film, and atomic ephemera. The works cover the pre- and post-war period, ranging from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and extending to the more recent nuclear disaster of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant in 2011.

"This exhibition is provocative and challenging," says Nataley Nagy, Executive Director of the Kelowna Art Gallery. "Throughout history visual art has played a critical role in creating a dialogue around some of the most frightening and complicated issues facing humankind. Through their work, artists can provide a way to distill complex issues into something that can be communicated and ultimately bring us together, rather than tear us apart. BOMBHEAD does so in a powerful way."

The exhibition is divided into four thematic categories for visitors to explore: The Bomb, Protest, Documents, and Fear. It showcases the work of 28 artists, notably including, Carl Beam, Betty Goodwin, David Hockney, Ishiuchi Miyako, Robert Rauschenberg, and Nancy Spero, among many others.

BOMBHEAD runs from March 20 to July 18, 2021. It is presented with the generous support of IG Wealth Management.

The public is also invited to participate in a free monthly online lecture series, organized in conjunction with the exhibition. BOMBHEAD curator John O'Brian will kick things off on Thursday, March 25th, at 6 pm, with a fascinating talk entitled "Duck and Cover, All Over Again." Pre-registration is available via the Gallery's website.

The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street. For more information, visit www.kelownaartgallery.com or call the Gallery at 250-762-2226.

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Webpage: https://kelownaartgallery.com/bombhead
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelownaartgallery<https://www.instagram.com/kelownaartgallery/>
Curator's Talk: https://kelownaartgallery.com/bombhead-curator-talk-john-obrian<https://kelownaartgallery.com/bombhead-curator-talk-john-obrian/>

[image credits]

Baker Day atomic bomb, Bikini, July 24, 1946 (detail), silver gelatin print. Collection of John O'Brian: Promised Gift to the National Gallery of Canada.

Robert Rauschenberg, Hot Shot, 1983, lithograph, collage, stencil, 206.3 x 108.0 cm, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of J. Ron Longstaffe, © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Photo: Rachel Topham, Vancouver Art Gallery.

Robert Rauschenberg, Page 1 (from Pages and Fuses), 1974, paper, textile, acrylic sheet, 60.0 x 72.5 x 5.0 cm, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Young,

Robert Keziere, GP-I crew, with sail, 1971, 1971, inkjet print, 33.0 x 48.5 cm, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of the Artist.

Blaine Campbell, The Last Days no. 1, 2017, giclée on Dibond, 135.0 x 109.5 cm, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of the Artist.

To arrange an interview, for additional images, or for other media enquiries, please contact:

Joshua Desnoyers
Marketing and Events Coordinator

Kelowna Art Gallery
1315 Water Street, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9R3
250-762-2226 ext. 305
250-762-9875 fax
josh at kelownaartgallery.com<mailto:josh at kelownaartgallery.com>  |  www.kelownaartgallery.com<http://www.kelownaartgallery.com>



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