Emily Carr University of Art + Design
1399 Johnston Street,
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Emily Carr University will welcome in October of 2013 Henrik Håkansson, one of the most successful Swedish artists of his generation, followed by highly renowned German artist Jürgen Partenheimer in the Spring of 2014.
The University is extremely fortunate to have these esteemed artists as the first residents of the Audain Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Program. The program, funded by Michael Audain and the Audain Foundation, enables the University to bring the world’s leading contemporary artists to live and work in Vancouver for a one to three month period. Guest artists and visiting lecturers are an integral component of the student’s education at Emily Carr—complementing existing faculty, and bringing new opportunities for collaboration and learning.
Henrik Håkansson investigates the relationship between people, animals, insects and plants, and various forms of science. He does so by taking the role of a biologist and discoverer. His approach springs from a fascination for biological structures. Through his observations, he aims to close the gap with nature and to make the viewer receptive to natural processes. During his residency at Emily Carr, he will work with local researchers and scientists to explore acoustic signals among whales and dolphins specifically, and on interspecies communications and behaviors more broadly. Håkansson will present a talk at Emily Carr on October 31 moderated by Patrik Andersson, Associate Professor, Audain School of Visual Arts.
Since participating in the Paris Biennial in 1980, the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1981, and the Venice Biennial in 1986, Jürgen Partenheimer’s work has been widely shown internationally. Partenheimer has a long history of working in educational environments, having participated as Visiting Professor/Artist at a number of esteemed learning institutions in the United States, Europe, Africa and the UK. His work is comprised of painting, drawing, sculpture and text, which also draw on theory, poetry and prose as his referential grammar of artistic expression. Partenheimer’s work is distinguished by an abstract quality, which seems to express a state of uncertainty and inconsistency, calling into question the viewer’s own preconceived certainties. Marked by a post-minimalist background and a poetic intensity, his art has been referred to as metaphysical realism. Partenheimer’s residency is a partnership between Emily Carr and the Contemporary Art Gallery, and will support the creation of a new body of work that will go on to be part of a significant solo exhibition to be shown at the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich and The Gemeentemuseum, The Hague.
About Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design, established in 1925, is a world leader in education and research. Encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media and technology, our learning community merges research, critical theory and studio practice in an interdisciplinary environment. Alumni and faculty are internationally recognized as award-winning creators and thought leaders who have enormous impact on both the cultural sector and economy. We engage students, industry, and society to continuously explore and think differently about creativity and how it shapes our world. Emily Carr is building a state-of-the art campus for 21st century learning at Great Northern Way. The University will be at the centre of a new social, cultural, educational, and economic engine for British Columbia. Find out more at ecuad.ca.
About the Audain Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Program
Established in 2012, the Audain Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Program has a mandate to bring nationally and internationally renowned contemporary artists to Vancouver, create curriculum specific to individual visiting artists, and support visiting artists in the creation of new works. Adopting a flexible model that encourages experimentation, collaboration, dialogue and engagement, the program will benefit artists, the academic community, the Vancouver art community at large, and will greatly contribute to Vancouver’s stature within the international art world.
