The next exhibition at Plaskett Gallery is taking a look at the “industrial storm” that threatens the ecology of our planet.
In the Storm, on at the gallery at Massey Theatre from Oct. 2 to 31, features work by Ronnie Dean Harris, a.k.a. Ostwelve.
Harris is a Sto:lo/St’át'imc/Nlaka'pamux artist based in Vancouver.
“The gallery exhibition represents some of the expressions around his understanding of the storm we stand in as beings within an ancient ritual performed by natural beings of land, water and stars. As humans, we are visitors to a cycle and interconnection of life forces around us that have sustained life since time immemorial,” a press release says.
“We now stand in an industrial storm that threatens this balance.”
The works in the show have been created with a focus on wild salmon and salmonid habitat and preservation, as well as a look at eulachon and sturgeon. Harris, in the press release, said the focus of the presentation is to put the natural cycles and habitats of the fish into viewers’ “hearts and minds.”
“I hope that with some awareness and focused efforts, we as a human species can remain reverent of the beings that inhabit our waterways and have a large stake in our interconnection as beings,” he said.
Harris has had a multi-faceted artistic career. He got his start with professional graphic design at the age of 14 after submitting a design to Vancouver-based skateboard company Arson and getting the design printed. That same year, he began co-hosting the When Spirits Whisper radio show on Co-op Radio 100.5 FM.
In past years, he’s worked on a number of projects, most prominently as an actor and composer for the APTN/Showcase dramatic series Moccasin Flats and the subsequent film project Moccasin Flats: Redemption in 2007.
In the last 10 years he has been active in facilitating and creating workshop programs for youth empowerment in media arts and hip hop. He’s currently the program director for “Reframing Relations” with the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, delivering programming for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to work with students and youth around the concept of reconciliation.
Most recently, he was featured in the National Film Board musical documentary The Road Forward.
His work at Plaskett Gallery (735 Eighth Ave.) can be seen from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, by appointment or during shows at the Massey Theatre.
See www.masseytheatre.com or call 604-517-5900.
