ALBERTA PRINTMAKERS GALLERY

Due to the growing severity of public health measures advised in Alberta and the state of emergency recently declared by the City of Calgary, A/P’s facility will be closed to the public until further notice.

Especially during this uncertain time, we know that finding artistic inspiration and a creative outlet is important. A/P continues to work remotely to fulfill our mandate and serve our community in any way that we can.

You can now explore our current exhibition through the images and descriptions below!

Be sure to stay tuned to our social media accounts, visit our website, and sign up for our newsletter to stay connected.

In The Main Space Gallery

Current Exhibition:

Stephanie de Couto Costa / Anthology of Mourning

March 6 - April 7, 2020

Opening Reception: March 6 from 7-9pm

Artist in attendance.

"The works in this exhibition explore the expanded notions of mourning; meaning not confined to the loss of loved ones, but includes displacement, loss of identity, community, ideals, and loss of self. More specifically, mourning is examined from an ethnological perspective, reflecting on how our heritage, belief systems, genealogy, effects or guides our experiences of grief.

In Anthology of Mourning, these ideas are explored through printed works and drawings, often referred to as still lifes and tapestries. The works are created from the assemblage of an extensive collection of imagery and visual lexicon that I have been building and referencing throughout my practice.

There is a strong presence of textile designs and traditions in the works. My family working in this industry, fabric has always been part of my visual landscape evoking notions of labour, class and cultural identity.

In my own translation of textile work, I’m interested in exploring cloth as a fleshy extension of the body. Cloth and patterning becomes a communicative adornment, expressing something the body cannot. It’s a means of hiding the self but also revealing the self.

Through cryptic language, repetition and the appropriation of traditional motifs, the works act as pictograms using patterning as text, revealing a desire to establish a dialogue between past and present, seeking to keep what as left alive."

Stephanie de Couto Costa is a visual artist and writer in Montreal, Canada. Interested in process driven material practices, her work encompasses different media such as printmaking, textiles, drawing and installation. She has participated in a number of international exhibitions and residencies, including a research and creation project in Lisbon, Portugal. She completed a MFA in Studio Arts from Concordia University, where she works as an Assistant Professor in the division of Print Media.