August 2-31, 2024, Tett Gallery, Kingston,Ont.
CONTEMPLATING GLACIERS
- A DIALOGUE
"Contemplating Glaciers - A Dialogue" is a solo art exhibition by BC artist Jan Kabatoff, curated by Jessica Turner. This exhibition marks the culmination of Ms. Turner's master's thesis, which explores the many ways in which art and multi-sensory exhibition design can be a useful tool for climate change awareness.
The relevance of "Contemplating Glaciers - A Dialogue" in today's context cannot be overstated. As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible and urgent, this exhibition serves as a timely reminder of the fragile beauty of our natural world and the critical need for collective action. The Athabasca Glacier, a symbol of Canada's natural heritage, is rapidly melting, echoing the broader environmental challenges we face globally. By connecting the glacier’s transformation with national identity, Kabatoff underscores the stakes involved and the responsibility we bear as stewards of the environment.
Visitors to the exhibition will gain not only an appreciation for the aesthetic and scientific significance of glaciers but also a deeper understanding of their role in our ecological and cultural landscapes. The immersive nature of the exhibition encourages personal reflection and a visceral connection to the realities of climate change. Through the multi-sensory experiences provided by the artworks, viewers are invited to contemplate their own relationship with the natural world and consider the broader implications of environmental degradation.
As we navigate through this exhibition, we are reminded that glaciers, though seemingly eternal, are vulnerable and transient. Their fate is inextricably linked to our actions and choices. This exhibition is a call to recognize and cherish the delicate balance of our ecosystems and to act with foresight and care to protect them for future generations. - Jessica Turner, Curator
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2022 - Kootenay Gallery of Art, Castlegar, B.C.
TRANSIENCE
Transience explores notions of nature and identity and our existential vulnerability during the age of uncertainty. Utilizing wild plants as stand-in metaphors for the fragility and transience of life, this work is a response to the times we’re living in, of a global pandemic, climate change and military conflict.
Historically, wildflowers and plants played a subordinate role to the domesticated showy varieties as fillers in bouquets and paintings. And yet, not only have native plants served as national and provincial emblems of identity, but they are vitally important to the pollinators that agriculture relies on. Scientists are now telling us that native plants are at risk due to climate change, as they are slower than non-native plants to adapt to rising global temperatures.
The process of carefully selecting, pressing, and installing the plants, allows for a direct hands-on experience, while rendering a representation of a plant requires a more focused and contemplative approach. The dominant black colour can suggest a post-fire occurrence or the long history of black drawings from cave paintings, to early botanical prints, to contemporary art.
Transformation
Wall installation, 15’x8’, plant material, black paint, 2022
2020 - artsPlace, Canmore, Alberta
THE PRESENCE
OF AN ABSENCE
This installation piece, titled The Presence of an Absence, is a continuation of my exploration of the relationship between the natural landscape and personal identity as it pertains to change, transformation, and loss.
I utilized dried leaves with charcoal from burnt forest areas as stand-in metaphors of change, transformation, and the transience of life. When driving near or through a burnt forest with its mass of charred remains, one feels a disturbing sense of the presence of an absence - the forest ceases to be what we know it as, and becomes instead a locus of loss, grief, and transformation.
Landscapes have defined people throughout the ages as structures of feeling where associations, memories and symbolic meanings were attached to a physical place. This existential identity is an inherent quality of a landscape perceived by people. Even though landscape is in constant flux, representing the dynamic interaction between cultural and natural processes, historically, the changes were local and gradual, contained within existing landscape structures. However, the changes in recent years are often abrupt,
dramatic, and unpredictable, where fire can move swiftly and boldly, destroying years of cultural and natural history.
In 2018 British Columbia experienced the second worst wildfire season in history, causing the smoke
to drift across Canada. Since fire and smoke know no boundaries, a literal ‘air of uncertainty and anxiety’
shrouded the Western provinces, blurring boundaries, fences and natural edges.
Wall installation, dried leaves covered in burnt forest charcoal, 2020
2009 - Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Alberta
GLACIER: A JOURNEY
Ice and water have been recurring themes in my work for many years, standing in as metaphors for change and transformation. Increasingly, glaciers have become a source of deep interest and concern for me, as climate change accelerates their melting rate. Consequently, I have journeyed to numerous glaciers, from Alberta to the southernmost reaches of South America, as a way of charting the impact of climate change on glaciers and mapping their transformation. I now understand them as not only storehouses of fresh water vital to our survival, but also as sentient beings, and I strive to grasp their ephemeral nature to better understand our interconnectedness with the natural world.
Icefall - Athabasca Glacier, Digital Photograph, 2005
