WHISTLER.- Opening on September 23, 2023, Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows features over 25 works dating from 2006 to 2023. This Special Exhibition curated by Dr. Curtis Collins, the Audain Art Museum’s Director & Chief Curator, features a collection of Bubaš’ paper toles and images from her ongoing series, Studies in Landscapes and Wardrobe, including Woman with Hollowed Tree (2016) and a specially commissioned work by the AAM entitled Winter Scene at Alexander Falls (2022).

Bubaš is renowned for her diverse artistic practice that seamlessly interweaves natural and built environments. From the ordinary to the sublime, Bubaš has explored a wide spectrum of subjects throughout her career. In 2006, her creative focus transitioned from interiors to landscapes, giving rise to her ongoing series Studies in Landscapes and Wardrobe. This series of photographic works features meticulously styled, solitary female figures enveloped by both idyllic and apocalyptic landscapes. Each female subject averts her gaze from the camera, engaging deeply with the space she inhabits. These works pay homage to the portrayal of women in art, cinema, and the tradition of the sublime within 19th-century landscape painting.

Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows will present a unique selection of Bubaš' past and present works, which feature the intriguing interplay between summer and winter. The exhibition ingeniously juxtaposes photographs captured amidst frigid Arctic conditions—showcasing landscapes in Iceland, frozen waterfalls, and snow-covered forests—with the vibrant palettes of summer, featuring sprawling fields of dahlias, sunflowers, and rose gardens. The series maintains an unsettling quality, emphasized by the contrast of ethereal flowers against skies choked by thick forest fire smoke, as seen in Woman and Sunflowers (2022). An industrial presence, symbolized by geothermal pipelines in Woman and Pipeline (2021), adds another layer of complexity to the narrative, urging viewers to introspectively explore their relationship with an ever-evolving environment.

Among the exhibition’s highlights are Bubaš' recent and innovative three-dimensional still-life flower studies, influenced by the paintings of Édouard Manet. These unique creations, crafted using the paper tole technique, bring a tangible depth to her exploration of the ephemeral beauty found in nature. Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows is generously supported by Janet & Chris Bowell, Jane Irwin & Ross Hill and Anne Ferreira.

Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows will be on display in the AAM’s Upper Galleries from September 23, 2023 to January 29, 2024. A full-colour book featuring contributions by Doug Copeland and Shaun Inouye who explore Bubaš’ practice in the conceptual interrogation of media, setting up intersections between photography, film, advertising, and high art.

Born and raised in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver, Karin Bubaš is a photographer and artist who lives and works in Tsawwassen, BC. Since studying at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, she has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally, most notably in Paris, Brussels, Washington and Vancouver. She has had solo exhibitions at the Canadian Cultural Centre (Paris), the Clark & Faria Gallery (Toronto) and Monte Clark Gallery (Vancouver). Bubaš’ public art projects include works installed at Pearson International Airport (Toronto) and the Canada Line Sky Train (Vancouver).

Audain Art Museum

Established in 2016, the Museum was founded via a major philanthropic gift of Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa. The Permanent Collection is focused on the art of British Columbia, exemplifying the richness of cultural difference in Canada. Highlights include hereditary Haida Chief James Hart’s The Dance Screen, an exceptional collection of historical and contemporary Indigenous art, a comprehensive selection of paintings by Emily Carr and a brilliant range of works by Vancouver’s photo-conceptualists. The Museum hosts three special exhibitions per year that feature artists and collections of national as well as international significance.

Audain Art Museum
Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows
September 23, 2023 - January 29th, 2024