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UBC Okanagan MFA Students

5/16/2025

 
Tara Yadollahi  presents: Be In My Chador

Robin Hodgson presents: Half Life

May 24th to July 6th


Opening Reception: Saturday, May 24th from 1 to 3pm


Tara Yadollahi, Be in My Chador 
“Self-censorship lives in our body language, in the clothes we choose, and in the silent decisions we make every day. It transcends boundaries and physical forms, quietly shaping how we present ourselves to the world. I began to wonder how much of our expression is truly our own and how much is subtly influenced by the gaze of others. Clothing becomes both a shield and a language, a personal dance between form and freedom, between self and expectation.”
 
Robin Hodgson, Half Life
The new paintings selected for Half Life, echoes the (2023) convergence point where I had lived the same amount of time able-body as I had disabled. The work confronts physical ability using technical devices to overcome these challenges. Despite the physical barriers or mental tolls of navigating a world that wasn’t built for wheelchairs, there is a beauty in the resilience and a comedy in the struggle. I believe this to be a universal truth for all life, and aim to emphasize this in my new body of work.
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Garden of Earthly delights & objects of desire

4/28/2025

 
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Gallery Members Exhibition, fundraising sale and special dinner event

The Lake Country Art Gallery invites artists and community members to take part in our upcoming fundraising exhibition, The Garden of Earthly Delights and Objects of Desire.

Exhibition Dates: May 3rd to May 11th
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 3rd from 1 to 3pm
Dining Artfully: A fun, artful gathering fundraiser dinner on Saturday May 10th

'Art is a testament to our humanity'


Support the Arts, Support the Future

PATHS THAT ​Ghosts Follow

3/6/2025

 
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Paths that Ghosts Follow 

Featuring the work of Daniela Cinel O'Fee and My Name Is Scot, Paths That Ghosts Follow explores existential liminality—the feeling of being caught between presence and absence, between identity and dissolution. Drawing on themes of authenticity, identity, and freedom, this exhibition questions what it means to exist in a world that often erodes the individual, leaving only traces, echoes, and specters of the self.

Daniela Cinel O'Fee’s work navigates the tension between displacement and adaptation. After her early life Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Victoria, her late-career studies in sculpture at Thompson Rivers University have expanded her technologies to include wood bending, obsolete media, decommissioned musical instruments, field recording, extended piano techniques, and graphic scores.

My Name Is Scot is a Vancouver-based artist interested in the material residues, manufactured meanings, and emotional by-products of our late capitalist age.

Exhibition Details:
•              Exhibition Title: Paths that Ghosts Follow
•              Artists: Daniela Cinel O’Fee and My Name Is Scot
•              Dates: March 8th to April 27th
•              Opening Reception: Saturday, March 8th, from 1 to 3 pm​

CLOSER TO FINE

1/3/2025

 
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Closer to Fine
An Artistic Journey of Self-Discovery and Meaning in 2025
LC Art Gallery Members' Exhibition


Popular culture, especially movies, greatly influences art by shaping societal narratives and visual aesthetics. Films reflect and challenge contemporary issues and are echoed by visual artists who explore similar themes and ideas. 

Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls (1989) is not just a background track in the Barbie movie (2023); it is a thematic anchor that supports the film's messages of empowerment, self-discovery, acceptance of imperfection, and the importance of community. 

One impactful moment in the movie is when Barbie is driving down the road in her convertible, singing along to Closer to Fine, enjoying the moment thoroughly; suddenly, Ken pops up from the back seat. This scene in the Barbie movie, where Ken's uninvited presence disrupts Barbie's joyous and autonomous moment, is a powerful metaphor for the broader issues of male entitlement, the disruption of female autonomy, and the importance of maintaining personal boundaries. It underscores the feminist themes of the film, emphasizing the value of self-discovery and the need for respect and consent in all interactions. This moment invites viewers to reflect on the themes of the song and the film, encouraging deeper contemplation on the art of finding one's path and the beauty of asserting one's individuality.

Inspired by the Indigo Girls' iconic song Closer to Fine and the movie Barbie, this exhibition, Closer to Fine An Artistic Journey of Self-Discovery and Meaning in 2025 LC Art Gallery Members’ Exhibition explores the intricate paths of personal growth, the search for meaning, and the beauty of imperfection. 

The Lake Country Art Gallery invites Gallery Members to submit artwork reflecting their journey and embracing the multifaceted nature of being Closer to Fine. 

​Wanda Lock, 
Curator



Notes on song lyrics: taken from the Indigo Girls, Closer to Fine, 1989
song lyric: I’m trying to tell you something about my life, maybe give me insight between black and white.
Works that explore the journey of understanding oneself, the complexity of identity, and the continuous process of personal growth
song lyric: There’s more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line.
These artworks could delve into the quest for meaning in life, the acceptance of ambiguity, and the multiple perspectives on truth and existence.
song lyric: The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine.
Art that not only celebrates but also cherishes imperfection, the beauty of the flawed, and the liberation found in letting go of the pursuit of perfection.
song lyric: Darkness has a hunger that's insatiable, and lightness has a call that's hard to hear.
Works that explore the balance between different aspects of life, such as light and dark, certainty and doubt, or structure and chaos.
song lyric: I went to see the doctor of philosophy, with a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee.
Art that reflects on the role of community, relationships, and the shared human experience in the journey towards understanding and contentment.
song lyric: We go to the bible, we go through the workout, we read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout.
Art pieces that depict learning from a variety of sources, experiences, and challenges, emphasizing the eclectic nature of personal growth.

2024 UNDER 200

10/31/2024

 
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November 30 - December 21st

with Front of the Line early VIP access November 29th


Exhibition and fundraising sale of original art by gallery members
​

LC Art Gallery member artists were invited to participate in the Lake Country Art Gallery’s largest show of the year!  Look for your favourite artists or discover some new works to gift or to add to your collection.

Access new and original artworks by: 
Angela Bonten, Angelika M. Offenwanger, Anne Gidluck, Barbara Bell, Beryl Beaupre, Barbara Barnes, Carney Oudendag, Chris Arlidge, Chantel Thederahn, Carol Zuckerman, Diane Blakeley, Diane Davis, Danielle Harshenin, Delora Lalande, Debby Merkel, Diane Nelson, Dianne Postman, Denise Patrick, Elizabeth Shaw, Faye Eden, Frieda Martin, Fay Wolfenden, Gail Hourigan, Heidi Samida, Judy Hamilton, Jane Moxon, Jax Rieger, Jenny Wright, Kathy Hale, Karen Murray, Kathryn Ross, Kathy Short, Kelly Swallow, Katie Szarek, Kate Tooke, Kelly Taylor, Lynden Beesley, Lillian Sokil, Lynette Stebner, Michelle Droettboom, Michael Griffin, Mary Hinz, Monique Jansen, Margaret Kyle, Maureen Lejbak, Marlene G. McPherson, Marla Wilson, Nancy Collins, Paula Charter, Paul Lewendon, Ramona Hoeft, Ria Hakker, Robin Taylor, Sephorah Hild, Sofie Hartwick, Shelley Johnson, Sharlene McNeill, Susan Moore, Sara Wiens, Susan Yost, Tess Letailleur, Tina Siddiqui, Valerie Limpright, Valerie Thompson, Zaph Vouladakis
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Anthropocene

9/19/2024

 
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Anthropocene, a thought-provoking exhibition by Okanagan-based artist Bryon Johnston. This body of work, blending sculpture and installation, reflects the impact of climate change and the ever-evolving landscape.
 
Johnston, an acclaimed artist with national and international exhibitions, has also been a long-time educator, teaching sculpture at the University of British Columbia Okanagan.
 
The title Anthropocene refers to the proposed geological epoch that marks humanity’s significant influence on Earth, from its oceans and ecosystems to its geology and climate. This exhibition invites viewers to contemplate our role in shaping the planet’s future.

OPENING RECEPTION: Wednesday, September 25th from 6 to 8pm

Exhibition continues September 26th to November 21st.
LC Art Gallery is open to all visitors 6 days per week 9am-3pm, by donation

WHAT TRICKLES THROUGH

7/15/2024

 
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All of the artists in What Trickles Through were artists in their country of origin before they immigrated to Canada. The works presented here were all created in Canada at more than an arms length from the birthplaces of these artists - Ortansa Moraru, born in Romania arrived in Canada in 2002; Mahmoud Meraji, born in Iran in 1998 and Ashley Johnson, born in South Africa moved from Johannesburg to Toronto in 2005. All are now Canadian citizens.

Before leaving Romania, Ortansa Moraru was a practiced printmaker. In 2008, I curated the exhibition Aligning with Beauty at the Varley Gallery where I included works by Moraru. In researching the concept of 'beauty', which is often defined as being synonymous with 'art', it became evident that cultural preferences, historical orientation, morals, philosophy and even indications of gender could be driving both the message and the aesthetic of the artworks. There appeared to be a unique visual language expressed in oraru's work, one that had originated in another country before the artist came to Canada. I came to learn that the reverence with which Ortansa first presented her prints to me was built
on the respect for her profession which she had inherited from a long history of master printmakers from Romania. Over twenty-two years as a practicing artist in Toronto, her work has changed but still, there are those engaging hints that notions of place - where and who – affected the imagery and added to what she brought forward.

Ashley Johnson was inventing alternative ways of exhibiting in a fraught South Africa before he left. Imagery that was shocking or dislocating on first seeing Ashley Johnson's paintings was a result of a personal incomprehension of the narrative's origins. Also a committed writer, the text that accompanied his first exhibition at Headbones Gallery in Toronto was a way into the information behind his unique visual vocabulary and it added to my world view. Ashley Johnson's work became the cornerstone of the NEOPRIEST (New Pop Realists Intellectually Engaged in Storytelling) aesthetic that then reciprocally also defined Headbones Gallery. Almost twenty-five years since he arrived, Ashley Johnson continues to wake up the neighbourhood.

Mahmoud Meraji chose Canada as his own work in Iran was being pulled from the walls on museums for being 'inappropriate' for the Iranian cultural agenda. When asked what his painting was about as we mounted his exhibition at Headbones Gallery, Okanagan in 2015, he said that he was “truth seeking”. This affirmation speaks of making a connection with the unrealized (not made actual or real) and then transforming it into a form that can be realized by another. Mahmoud also leaves space for the viewer to explore, to truth seek. When I first saw images of Mahmoud's new paintings and he explained that the marks that appeared abstract but organic, relative but tangential, are based on script - marks which I had read as relating to Persian textiles - it hit me that the part of his work that is fresh on the Canadian art landscape was informed by his unique history and that Mahmoud Meraji could broaden my visual perspective.

TWO UBCO STUDENTS - MASTER OF ARTS THESIS EXHIBITIONS

5/13/2024

 
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Spiritual Growth: The Unapologetic Nude by Jessie Emilie: A compelling exploration of introspection through large-scale portraiture.

Exploring the impact of religious teachings on women's bodies, embarking on a journey towards empowerment through painting. This exhibition challenges conventional perceptions of the female nude, reimagining it through a feminist perspective influenced by the healing essence of nature (Biophilia) and the acceptance of imperfection (Wabi-sabi). Historically, depictions of nudity in art have been dominated by male perspectives, relegating women to mere muses and objects for male expression. Over the past two years, a dedication to a series of paintings confronts and redefines the portrayal of the female nude, aiming to ignite conversations about breaking free from societal and religious constraints on female representation.
 
Jessie Emilie is a painter who currently resides in the unceded and traditional territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people. In 2022, she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at The Alberta University of the Arts. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus, and her relocation from Alberta to the Okanagan has given her the opportunity to pursue a deep studio practice within an academic setting.
 
Jessie Emilie's work, rooted in personal experiences encompassing mental health, body image issues, religious trauma, spirituality, and nature, focuses on authentic and vulnerable depictions of nude figures. These figures are often set against domestic or natural scenes, accompanied by potted houseplants symbolizing spiritual growth. This thematic exploration challenges prevailing unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by media and confronts the constraints imposed by religious teachings concerning purity.
 
Through painting, Jessie navigates the complexities of these narratives, offering viewers insight into the intersectionality of identity, self-image, and societal expectations. Each artwork is a testament to resilience, advocating for self-acceptance and celebrating imperfection within the human experience.
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Departures: Bridging the Gap by Troy Teichrib: Boldly painted urban graphic abstraction that bridges artistic boundaries.

​Featuring new work by artist Troy Teichrib that highlights the spontaneous and raw nature of graffiti art, this body of work includes small to large mixed-media paintings, each a testament to Teichrib’s efforts in translating graffiti’s fleeting beauty and raw energy within the gallery’s structured confines.This methodical yet chaotic process of uncovering and reviving elements from dense chunks of accumulated graffiti is a meditation on ego, ownership, and the impermanence of art. By overlaying and then meticulously removing layers of his own work, he confronts the challenge of disassociating from the personal motifs and styles that have defined his artistic identity. This practice of revisiting buried history becomes a dialogue between creation and destruction.
 
Troy Teichrib is a mixed-media painter currently residing in the unceded and traditional territory of the syilx/ Okanagan people. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Alberta University of the Arts and is now a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. His work questions the practices of censoring street art, as he examines the ongoing tension between public expression and regulated spaces. His work aims to offer an authentic exploration of the visual and thematic complexities inherent in blending the worlds of graffiti and studio practice, inviting viewers to reconsider the value and significance of graffiti art within and beyond the gallery space.
TWO UBCO STUDENTS - MASTER OF ARTS THESIS EXHIBITIONS

Celebrating Artistic Achievement: MFA Candidates Showcase Final Works at Lake Country Art Gallery

Five accomplished MFA candidates have reached the culmination of their academic journey at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. 


Among them, Jessie Emilie and Troy Teichrib present their final year artworks at Lake Country Art Gallery this May.


Join Us for the Opening Reception: Date: May 18th, Time: 1pm-3pm

Exhibition Dates: May 18th - July 14th

Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the talent of these emerging artists… with exciting new public programs and community engagement coming soon…
 
Meanwhile checkout the work of two more MFA students showing their work currently at 
Kelowna Art Gallery: Victoria Verge and zev tiefenbach - What is Fragile?
Runs April 20 to July 12, 2024

MORAL PANIC,WHISPER CAMPAIGNS,WICKED PROBLEMS

3/11/2024

 
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Thank you to Gallery Members who responded to the theme: MORAL PANIC, WHISPER CAMPAIGNS, WICKED PROBLEMS who responded with insight, a critical eye, humour and deep exploration.

Alison Beaumont, Amber Powell, Amy Van Dongen, Angela Hanson, Caitlin Ffrench, Carol Bliss, Eveline Wallace, Faye Eden, JG Touchstone, Jordan Hermanus, Judith Hamilton, Karen Murray, Karina Nardi, Katherine Acutt, Kelly Swallow, Kimberly Kitto, Marcella Moser, Margaret Kyle, Marlene McPherson, Maureen Kaczkowski, Monique Jansen, Paula Charter, Paul Lewendon, Pippa Dean Veerman; Rosanne Bennett, S. C. Jean, Sarah Hope, Sarah Rueda, Sara Wiens, Suzanne Phillips, Tara Yadollahi, Tina Siddiqui, Zaph Vouladakis

Bats in the Belfry: the Origins of Bat Sh#t Crazy

1/8/2024

 
JEN DYCK AND STEVE MENNIE
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We are thrilled to announce the first exhibition of this year,
Bats in the Belfry: the Origins of Bat Shit Crazy 

featuring the artwork of accomplished artists
Jen Dyck and Steve Mennie

January 13 to March 10, 2024

This exhibition, encompassing painting, drawing, and collage, promises to take visitors on a thought-provoking journey exploring various themes and observations reflective of our contemporary times.


Combining Dyck and Mennie unveils a unique perspective on the world. Dyck, known for her collage works, and Mennie, recognized for his drawings and paintings, present an exhibition that delves into the intricacies of contemporary existence.
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 13, 2024, from 1 to 3 pm

The Lake Country Art Gallery invites artists, art enthusiasts, the curious, and the extended community to join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, January 13, from 1 to 3 pm. Opening receptions will allow attendees to meet the artists, engage in conversations, and gain a deeper understanding of the exhibition.​

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OPEN HOURS
Tuesday - Sunday
9:00am to 3:00pm*
Admission by donation


*check Exhibition dates for temporary closure during installations
​*extended hours for the Under 200 
exhibition

Contact Us

[email protected]
[email protected]
​250-766-1299

Lake Country Art Gallery
​10356A Bottom Wood Lake Rd, Lake Country

We respectfully acknowledge that the 
Lake Country Art Gallery and Art House are
located on the traditional and unceded territory
​of the Syilx/Okanagan people.

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