Curatorial Visit of Dr. Vezio Tomasinelli from The Velan Centre for Contemporary Art in Torino, Italy
Hosted by Elspeth Sage of On Edge Productions (Vancouver)
April 2 - 8, 2005
Dr. Tomasinelli has just left Vancouver after a very successful 6 day visit. During his stay, I introduced him to the artists that On Edge will be exhibiting at his gallery in Torino during the next Winter Olympics from February 10 - 26, 2006. The idea behind his visit was for him to meet with the artists in the current exhibition and come up with ideas for future exhibitions of Italian artists here and Vancouver artists in Italy.
We conducted studio visits and informal meetings with Terry Ewasiuk, Jamie Dolinko, Brian Howell, Sharyn Yuen and Henry Tsang. Each of the artists presented their work and ideas to Vezio as well as gave him additional support material for his files. I presented the work of the other artist in our exhibition, Paul Wong, as Paul was in Toronto finishing up a teaching position at The University of Toronto.
In addition to meeting with the artists, I introduced Vezio to Vancouver for his first time by giving him a guided tour each day of the different sights and geography that is unique to this city so that he could understand the context within which our work is created.
I also introduced him formally and informally to:
Kathleen Bartels, Director, Vancouver Art Gallery
Daina Augaitis, Chief Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery
Scott Watson, Director, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Keith Wallace, Associate Director, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Andy Sylvester, Director, Equinox Gallery
Katherine Lee, Acting Director, Video In
Vezio also met with:
Giorgio Visetti, Console di Vancouver, Consolato Italiano
Dr. Antonio Cosenza, Direttore, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Vancouver
The visit was a resounding success with the most important result being that we have secured The Velan Centre for Contemporary Art in the centre of Torino as an exhibition site for our Vancouver artists during the Winter Olympics of 2006. We already had an agreement with them and this incoming visit has confirmed all the details.
This is no small feat as it is now vitually impossible to locate an exhibition site in Torino during the Olympics.
April 9, 2005.