HALIFAX, NS, May 14, 2024
/CNW/ - The Art Gallery of Nova
Scotia (AGNS) and the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) announced today the joint
acquisition of a major work by New
York-based artist, Joan
Jonas. Titled Moving Off the Land II, this
installation made its North American debut at the Museum of Modern
Art (MoMA) in March, as part of Joan
Jonas: Good Night Good Morning, and will remain on view
in New York City until
July 6, 2024.
Jonas began her career in New
York's vibrant downtown art scene of the 1960s, where she
was one of the first artists to work in performance and video. With
Manhattan as a home base, Jonas
has sought retreat in the highlands of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia since the
early 1970s, an area that has heavily influenced her decades-long
artistic practice.
"From her home for more than 50 years, Jonas has found
inspiration in the environment that surrounds her: the woods, the
Cape Breton coastline, Nova
Scotian Folklore, and the community of Inverness," says Sarah Moore Fillmore, CEO, Art Gallery of
Nova Scotia. "Jonas is
celebrated around the world, and Nova Scotians deserve to share a
part of this distinguished artist's remarkable
work. Moving Off the Land II is a
lush, immersive work of art that offers a host of timely
programming opportunities: connections through conversations about
the ocean, climate, biodiversity, and the power of small
communities in venues, and with audiences, throughout the province
and across the country."
"We are incredibly proud to partner with the Art Gallery of
Nova Scotia to provide a
homecoming for Moving Off the Land II, a work by an
artist who has been inspired by the captivating landscapes of
Cape Breton Island for many
decades," adds Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO, National
Gallery of Canada. "We want
all Canadians to have a sense of belonging to the Gallery. It is
through partnerships like this that we fulfill our mandate, as a
national museum, to bring the visual arts to all Canadians.
Canada feels like a very big
place, but when we work together, we connect artists, art
institutions and cultural venues in every region of this
country."
Moving Off the Land II presents the ocean as a
threatened ecosystem, a repository of mythology, and a site for
transformational encounters with animal life. Originally conceived
as a lecture-demonstration and later adapted into a performance and
installation, the work is informed by years of interdisciplinary
research, including with marine biologist David Gruber. The work, which draws inspiration
from Jonas' time spent by the ocean in Cape Breton, is presented through a multimedia
presentation that includes videos, theatre structures, print
reproductions, cast glass, and Murano glass mirrors.
"I'm really happy that my work was acquired by the National
Gallery of Canada and the Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia. I've lived
in Cape Breton, Canada in the
summers since 1970. I've been so inspired and nourished by the
people and the landscape," shares artist Joan Jonas. "Much of my work is made in
Cape Breton, in the woods, on the
beach, and on the road. I look forward to sharing my work with the
people of Canada. It means a lot
to me."
Moving Off the Land II will make its Canadian
premiere in Cape Breton in
the summer of 2025. The work will then be on view at the AGNS in
Halifax before it is made
available to institutions across Canada.
This joint acquisition was made possible with funds from the
Sobey Foundation and the DR Sobey
Foundation, along with support from Canadian philanthropist
Michael Nesbitt, a Distinguished
Patron of the National Gallery of Canada, for NGC's National Engagement
initiative.
Quick Facts:
- The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
and the National Gallery of Canada
have co-acquired a major work, titled Moving Off the Land
II, by New York-based artist
Joan Jonas.
- This work is currently on view at MoMA, in its North American
premiere, part of the exhibition Good Night Good
Morning.
- Based in New York, Joan has
spent summers in Cape Breton, Nova
Scotia since 1970. Her work is heavily influenced by the
area, often being created there.
- Moving Off the Land II is presented through a multimedia
presentation and presents the ocean as a threatened ecosystem, a
repository of mythology, and a site for transformational encounters
with animal life.
- This joint acquisition was made possible with funds from the
Sobey Foundation and the DR Sobey
Foundation along with support from Canadian philanthropist
Michael Nesbitt, a Distinguished
Patron of the National Gallery of Canada, for NGC's National Engagement
initiative.
About the Art Gallery of
Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
is Atlantic Canada's largest arts
museum. It offers a range of bold exhibitions and engaging
programming for all ages in an inclusive public gathering place
connecting people with art to inspire new ways of thinking.
www.agns.ca
About the National Gallery of
Canada
Ankosé | Everything is Connected | Tout est
relié
The National Gallery of Canada
(NGC) is dedicated to amplifying voices through art and extending
the reach and breadth of its collection, exhibitions program, and
public activities to represent all Canadians, while centring
Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Ankosé—an Anishinaabemowin
word that means "everything is connected"—reflects the Gallery's
mission to create dynamic experiences that open hearts and minds,
and allow for new ways of seeing ourselves, one another, and our
diverse histories, through the visual arts. NGC is home to a rich
contemporary Indigenous international art collection, as well as
important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian and
European art from the 14th to the 21st century. Founded in 1880,
NGC has played a key role in Canadian culture for more than 140
years. For more information, visit gallery.ca.
SOURCE National Gallery of Canada