Main Gallery
March 5 to April 21, 2011

Joan Balzar: Vancouver Orbital

Vancouver Orbital re-examines the evolution of West Coast hard-edge abstraction, as seen through the lens of Joan Balzar’s quasi-scientific paintings of orbits, arcs and horizon lines. These works were created between the 1960s and 2010, and are a key strand in Balzar’s fifty years of abstract painting, which she produced in a global context, exploring the role and impact of non-referential art – a project that never left real-world references far behind.

The exhibition and its catalogue explore the aesthetic and philosophical links between Balzar’s abstract painting and a range of real-world phenomena, including other orbital phenomena in Greater Vancouver.

Opening Reception: Saturday March 5, 3 – 5 pm

Eight lunchtime talks with
Bill Jeffries, SFU Gallery Director:
Tuesday to Friday, March 8 to 11, 12:05 and 12:35

Core, 2000, Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 121.9 cm. Courtesy of the artist.