Keith Harder: Dereliction of Memory

"Anson", digital print, 20" x 30", 2009

Harder says of this series: The Dereliction of Memory is a reference to the slow dissolve of forgetting, an action that can be either therapeutic or tragic. Forgiveness and forgetting go together, but to lose memories can also be a loss of identity and humanity. These images offer a cautionary tale. They portray artifacts that have lost their original function along with great chunks of their being. They have been subjected to the contingencies of need, and of time, and of entropy. But in their fragmentary state they still can be an anchor for the ghosts of stories looking for a home.

These are images of aircraft relics that landmark a specific and pivotal moment of history. But it would be a mistake to see these works of art as only memorializing that particular history. They can also be signs or place-holders for other histories, ones that might be either individual or collective. 

View Dereliction of Memory from Thursday, October 24th until Saturday, November 30th, 2013 at the Visual Arts Alberta Gallery. Join us for an opening reception on Thursday, October 24th from 7-9:30 pm. The gallery is open from Wed-Fri, 10-4pm and Sat, 12-4pm. We will be closed on Saturday, November 9th.  

Survivors and Fifteen Restless Nights

Derek Michael Besant, "motel bed #6", UV ink transfer onto shibouri Japanese veil scrim

Derek Michael Besant is an artist, curator, and writer based in Calgary. Besant has completed substantial public commissions in Canada and around the world.
Fifteen Restless Nights is Besant's exploration of the nuances found in the interior spaces of motel rooms. His work reflects and synchronizes ordinary objects and the invisible world around us.

Fifteen Restless Nights is shown alongside Survivors , a collection of work by Besant's life and work partner, Alexandra Haeseker. Survivors and Fifteen Restless Nights are part of Synchronous II, a festival of art and life, promoted by The Public Foundation for Art and Life. This exhibition was curated by Ania Sleczkowska, founding director of the Foundation.

View the exhibition at the Visual Arts Alberta Gallery until October 18, 2013. Please join us for a special concert event on Saturday, October 5 beginning at 2 pm with Elizabeth Koch on flute and Murray Vaasjo on violin. The gallery is open from Wed-Fri from 10-4 pm and Sat from 12-4. The gallery will be closed on October 12.

Survivors and Fifteen Restless Nights

Alexandra Haeseker, "Cellphone", UV ink on synthetic paper 

Alexandra Haeseker is an artist and lecturer at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Born in the Netherlands, Haeseker is an internationally recognized artist working largely in print media. In her Survivors series, Haeseker continues her exploration of the isolation of the human figure.

Survivors is shown alongside Fifteen Restless Nights, a collection of work by Haeseker's life and work partner, Derek Michael Besant. Survivors and Fifteen Restless Nights are part of Synchronous II, a festival of art and life, promoted by The Public Foundation for Art and Life. This exhibition was curated by Ania Sleczkowska, founding director of the Foundation.

View the exhibition at the Visual Arts Alberta Gallery until October 18, 2013. Please join us for a special concert event on Saturday, October 5 beginning at 2 pm with Elizabeth Koch on flute and Murray Vaasjo on violin. The gallery is open from Wed-Fri from 10-4 pm and Sat from 12-4. The gallery will be closed on October 12.