Carleana De Wilde + Peter Dykhuis

April 16 — 24, 2022
open Saturdays and Sundays, 12-6pm or by appointment (click here)

Healing Through Art
Carleana De Wilde

This exhibition is linked to De Wilde’s thesis titled Healing Through Art ~ Validating an Art-Based Practice to Establish and Maintain Mental Health and Well-Being, which is affiliated with her Masters of Arts in Art Education program at NSCAD University.

Moving seamlessly between multiple mediums, De Wilde displays a few pieces from her recent production but, more importantly, turns the gallery into a studio-based production space where she, and others, can play and explore through visual and material means.

De Wilde declares, “Embracing the idea that the finished piece isn’t as important as moving through the creative process, eliminates many preconceived boundaries. 

Being vulnerable to rediscovering self through art-based practices empowers the creator. Confidence gained through my creative practice inspires me to try new things and dares me to never give up in my daily life.”

Odds (and ends of the earth)
Peter Dykhuis

Dykhuis’s 2009 project, never fully displayed in Halifax, corroborates De Wilde’s statement: “confidence gained through my creative practice inspires me to try new things and dares me to never give up in my daily life.”

Each of the 5 horizontally oriented pieces in Odds (and ends of the earth) began with paper-based ephemera — such as envelopes, notes and ‘to do’ lists addressed to the artist — that are collaged together with painted images based on geo-spatial digital maps and Google Earth landscapes. In doing so, warm and personal odds-and-ends of everyday life are combined with cool satellite mapping to create layered portraits of person and place.

Collecting, curating, then creatively manipulating the ephemera of Dykhuis’s daily life at home and work became his creative life-blood during times of personal and professional complexity. And to again quote De Wilde, “never give up in my daily life” by making it the subject matter of his studio practice. 

Note for Visitors Regarding Covid-19: All visitors to the gallery must wear a mask and provide proof of vaccination. No more than ten visitors in the gallery at any time. Please respect social distancing by keeping 6’ft away from others.