
January 7 – February 23, 2021
Consisting of fifteen artists, The Darkened Sky highlights the beauty of darkness through a spectrum of artistic mediums. Works range from craft to fine art, and over half of the artists are First Nations or Métis, weaving together unique cultural perspectives and familiar methods of art-making.
Curated by Sarah Timewell, from the Permanent Collection of the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Toured through OSAC’s Arts on the Move program.
When you think of darkness, whether it’s psychological or an absence of light, you probably associate it with the colour black. The Darkened Sky aims to show the beauty and diversity in darkness through works from the Saskatchewan Arts Board’s Permanent Collection. With vibrant reds, rich blues, and muted greens, the exhibition is rejuvenating and inspiring through its unusual theme.
Consisting of fifteen artists, The Darkened Sky highlights the beauty of darkness through a spectrum of artistic mediums. Works range from craft to fine art, and there is a wide variety of styles from representational to abstract to folk art. Over half of the artists are First Nations or Métis, weaving together unique cultural perspectives and familiar methods of art-making.
The seemingly unrelated works are woven together through twilight and shadows. Some works are straightforward and easy to understand, while others are heavy with symbolism or personal references. Some works directly reference the night sky, and others hint at a darkness within the artist that comes across through a combination of subject and title only. Collaboratively, all works in The Darkened Sky give you an undeniable sense of connection to the process of making, to the land under our feet, and to culture, through the lens of a dark night on the prairie.
*Painting by William C. McCargar, Sun’s Glorious Set, oil, pastel, ink, graphite, glitter on masonite, 56.80 x 71.50 cm, 1964