Upcoming Exhibition
Steven Brekelmans
Half Hours With The Stars
April 27 - May 25
We are excited to introduce new works by Steven Brekelmans at our Mackenzie Heights location. The exhibition titled "Half Hour With The Stars" will open on Saturday, April 27 between 12 -2 pm. This marks the first solo exhibition of the artist with the gallery and we couldn't be more excited.
Steven Brekelmans was born in Vancouver, attended the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and graduated with an MFA from the University of Victoria. Working across a variety of mediums, he has exhibited both locally and internationally at CAG, Trapp Projects, Or Gallery, CSA Space, UNIT/PITT Projects, Western Front, MOLAF (Norway), The Western Bridge (Seattle) and Soi Fischer Projects (Toronto). His work is held in private and public collections including Simon Fraser University, TD Bank, Cleveland Arts & Medical Institute, and Fidelity Investments.
In this new body of work, Steven Brekelmans considers the relationship between the valuable and the worthless, questioning the merit of creative labour, the measures of value, and the inheritance of local (art) histories. On the walls a series of ink and gouache drawings riff on the work of two Vancouver-based artists, conflating the unique imagery and distinct relationships to the city of photo-conceptualist Christos Dikeakos and mid-century modernist B.C. Binning. Raw plywood boxes, evoking the object forms of minimalism, work both as shelves and containers: electronic modules are contained within, while a collection of objects, both found and crafted, are presented atop. Through this mixture of drawing, sculpture and assemblage, the artist asks, “How can we measure importance without knowing the trivial?
Steven Brekelmans was born in Vancouver, attended the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and graduated with an MFA from the University of Victoria. Working across a variety of mediums, he has exhibited both locally and internationally at CAG, Trapp Projects, Or Gallery, CSA Space, UNIT/PITT Projects, Western Front, MOLAF (Norway), The Western Bridge (Seattle) and Soi Fischer Projects (Toronto). His work is held in private and public collections including Simon Fraser University, TD Bank, Cleveland Arts & Medical Institute, and Fidelity Investments.
In this new body of work, Steven Brekelmans considers the relationship between the valuable and the worthless, questioning the merit of creative labour, the measures of value, and the inheritance of local (art) histories. On the walls a series of ink and gouache drawings riff on the work of two Vancouver-based artists, conflating the unique imagery and distinct relationships to the city of photo-conceptualist Christos Dikeakos and mid-century modernist B.C. Binning. Raw plywood boxes, evoking the object forms of minimalism, work both as shelves and containers: electronic modules are contained within, while a collection of objects, both found and crafted, are presented atop. Through this mixture of drawing, sculpture and assemblage, the artist asks, “How can we measure importance without knowing the trivial?
FEATURED ARTWORKS
ABOUT THE GALLERY
Mónica Reyes Gallery (MRG) has been backing the growth and development of emerging and mid-career artists since 2013. Serving the local and international art scene, MRG promotes artist initiatives invested in shaping the economies of art and culture. Once located in the heart of Strathcona for 10 years, the gallery relocated to a new address on the west side in October of 2023 after first opening this location as a secondary space in February 2022. This new location in the very heart of Vancouver's west side, has provided us with a unique opportunity for the gallery’s roster of artists to connect with a new audience.
Mónica Reyes Gallery is committed to presenting the work of artists who reflect the diversity of the visual arts community in Vancouver, BC. In particular, we are committed to providing space for artists to present narratives that are often underrepresented in many art galleries. MRG acknowledges it’s role as a commercial gallery in the Vancouver art community and recognizes the importance of continually reflecting on this position in relation to the ongoing impacts of colonialism within our institutional systems. We strive to centre the gallery’s programming around equity, diversity and inclusion and invite our community to engage with us to create a more just and sustainable future for the visual arts.
A project that was inspired by the pandemic and its need to return to the local and foster the community around us, Monica Reyes was one of the founding galleries of a new art fair, called COMBINE hosted annually by Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver. It's purpose is to serve as a platform for new and aspiring art collectors to learn about the West Coast art scene and as an opportunity for seasoned collectors to discover the latest local talents. The predominant concept of collaboration is visible in the make-up of the fair, and the emphasis of interconnected elements of artists, collectors, galleries and institutions.
MRG's regular exhibition program and special events provide artists with opportunities to show work that includes range of practices from more traditional forms of painting, sculpture and photography to experimental video, durational performance and installation.
We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work on unceded, traditional and ancestral xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories.
Mónica Reyes Gallery is committed to presenting the work of artists who reflect the diversity of the visual arts community in Vancouver, BC. In particular, we are committed to providing space for artists to present narratives that are often underrepresented in many art galleries. MRG acknowledges it’s role as a commercial gallery in the Vancouver art community and recognizes the importance of continually reflecting on this position in relation to the ongoing impacts of colonialism within our institutional systems. We strive to centre the gallery’s programming around equity, diversity and inclusion and invite our community to engage with us to create a more just and sustainable future for the visual arts.
A project that was inspired by the pandemic and its need to return to the local and foster the community around us, Monica Reyes was one of the founding galleries of a new art fair, called COMBINE hosted annually by Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver. It's purpose is to serve as a platform for new and aspiring art collectors to learn about the West Coast art scene and as an opportunity for seasoned collectors to discover the latest local talents. The predominant concept of collaboration is visible in the make-up of the fair, and the emphasis of interconnected elements of artists, collectors, galleries and institutions.
MRG's regular exhibition program and special events provide artists with opportunities to show work that includes range of practices from more traditional forms of painting, sculpture and photography to experimental video, durational performance and installation.
We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work on unceded, traditional and ancestral xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories.
CONTACT US
2895 W. 33rd Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6N 2G3
T. 604.339.2096
www.monicareyesgallery.com
mr@monicareyesgallery.com
opening hours: Wednesday - Saturday 12-5pm; and by appointment