"Why Where When Who What": a review

Why Where When Who What: Unveiling Dimensions of Identity, Place, and Contemporary Art by Bushra Yousaf

A Review by Jared Epp

Walk through the doors of Bleeding Heart Art Space and the paintings watch you enter. Beautifully rendered portraits somewhat hidden behind the whim and uncertainty of an abstract foreground. You get closer to a single work and you can’t lose the eyes staring through the messy rush of colour. But this is all a good thing, because the paintings, like each of us, are imperfect. This is what the artist Bushra, wants to celebrate and centre. There’s an intentional dialogue between the viewer and the artwork. As the painting locks eyes with you, you see the messiness and imperfection in yourself. Hold that feeling and reflect upon it.

For Bushra, art is therapy. It’s a way to communicate with oneself and let others enter that experience. Art creates a therapeutic reflective space. Bushra’s work encourages us to accept the gaze of another as an invitation to look inward that acknowledges our universal imperfections. The message is simple, “love all and hate none.” How do we get at that? For Bushra this means to accept our common human experience under an endless blue sky and to better communicate with ourselves and with others. Art does this, it allows the space to create and reflect.

Yet some are unconvinced, and Bushra knows this, of the purpose of the artist. What can the artist do? Bushra takes this question thoughtfully and hopes that, through her work we find ways to better navigate and communicate across difference in a world growing more and more divided. Though one can feel suffocated by the division and uncertainty of how to react and engage with others. We have to accept that we won’t always do it perfectly but that shouldn’t stop us from being able to look eye to eye with anyone we meet.

Come and check out Bushra’s show at Bleeding Heart Art Space (11203 68 St. NW) on now through October 21. Open Saturdays Noon - 3 PM, or by appointment at hello@bleedingheartart.space.

Image: “When Sickness Comes” by Bushra Yousaf, 2023

Your Art on Our Walls this February

Our 6th annual OPEN WALLS community art exhibition is right around the corner!

This is a special one for us, as OPEN WALLS 5 ended prematurely due to the onset of the covid pandemic.

3 years later, and in our new location, we are now inviting local artists to once again display 1 of their own, original artworks in our gallery. Artwork can be any size, any medium, and any subject. We welcome artists of all styles, ages, and levels of experience!

How to participate:

Bring your single artwork and your completed submission form to the Bleeding Heart Art Space (11203 68 St NW, up the brown wooden ramp) at one of the dates & times below:

Tuesday Jan 31: 1 PM - 3 PM and 6 PM - 7 PM

Saturday Feb 4: 1 PM - 3 PM

You can find your submission form and more info about the exhibition here

Get ready to celebrate!

 We will be hosting a casual public reception on Saturday February 11, 4 - 5:30 PM. There will be refreshments and mingling with local artists, friends, and family.

If you’d like to continue the fun, we invite you to stick around for our first WARM HEARTS CONCERT, taking place at 6 PM (doors at 5:30) and featuring music by Emmet Michael and poetry by Naomi McIlwraith.

explore the power of connection through dance, beginning Jan.15

Can I trust my body?

Is my body my friend? My teacher? My guide?

A trickster? 

Can I create with my body? Communicate through my body?  Express my inner self? 

Can I love my body?…love with my body?

Can I worship with my body?

These questions have pursued me throughout my conscious life - in and out of relationships, in and out of the church, on and off the dance floor. 

Wisdom Traditions teach that spiritual understanding and balance come when we can listen to the head, heart and body in equilibrium. (Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing.)

My socialization and education including a Master of Theology, majored in mastering mental perspectives: mind over matter, willpower over passion, logic versus imagination, spirit against flesh.

Some deference was given to the sensitivities of the heart but the body was essentially demonized. My ascetic spiritual disciplines were directed toward repressing sensuality and passion. 

Many life changes, including leaving my marriage and the church and falling deeply in love with my current life partner, necessitated and enabled me in unraveling much of this prejudice. 

In addition, came the practice of dancing the Tango. 

Dance itself in any form is therapeutic as we learn to engage and unlock a primal sense of rhythm, aligning ourselves with the motion of the universe. As such, dance has been central in celebration, ceremony and worship throughout most of the world. Western Christianity and Northern European culture are notable exceptions.

The tango is distinctive among partner dances in that the lead and follow roles are clearly differentiated and energetically and mechanically distinct. These are typically assigned male and female respectively. This is not to rigidly affix the roles of lead and follow to men and women respectfully. Yes, the dance roles reflect yin/ yang and anima/ animus polarities, but we all hold within both energies. Women taking the lead and men following or nongendered or alternative gender partnering is certainly appropriate. However, it must be noted that in so doing, one assumes responsibility for the distinctive character of that role. 

Because the dance is complex and improvisational, it requires an acute attunement and intuitive adaptation to one’s partner’s positioning and artistic interpretation. In today’s society, the value of a man and woman listening to each other in a gentle, supportive and sensual manner can not be overstated. 

For those interested in exploring these concepts further, a four-week program continues Sunday afternoons, same time, same place. 

written by Aydan Dunnigan (he/him)

_____________________

Course details:

Sunday 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Bleeding Heart Art Space at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, 11203 68 St. NW, Edmonton.

January 15: Exploratory session. No charge or registration required.

January 22, 29, February 5, 12: Workshop sessions.

Cost: $75.  $125 for a couple. $50 for students or unemployed.

To register, email hello@bleedingheartart.space or sign-up in person at the Jan 15th session. Registration is first-come-first-served and limited to 10 participants.

Presenters:

Facilitator: Aydan Dunnigan-Vickruck

Tango dances: Pamela Wight and Raymond Theriault

A Common Flame

Last November we asked, “What keeps your firelight burning?”

This is the light that guides you through dark days. This is the fire that warms you in the cold. This firelight draws community to huddle in hope.

When the pandemic began the world shifted for so many of us overnight. Artists lost their venues and exhibition spaces. Studios shut down.

The questions were about immediate survival. Short term strategies. How to pivot for the next few months?

We weren’t thinking about the long haul. We weren’t considering the spiritual tools we would need to last through a cold dark winter in this new reality.

Since then, we met artists who found ways to keep the firelight burning through times of isolation and anxiety. We created virtual venues and met together in grief, joy, lament, and encouragement.

A Common Flame

The pandemic landscape is ongoing. Fears and fatigue have given rise to Tribalism and polarization. New lines are drawn, some old lines are bolded, and human flourishing seems far off.

It can be easy to forget that we’re all gathered around the same fire. 

This fire is a beacon of warmth for each of us, burning brightest in the dark. It is a flame that can reach beyond borders and light a common path forward.

“Common Flame” is this year’s theme for Bleeding Heart.

We’re featuring artists who are creatively responding to the light and warmth they see in others. We’re continuing to create supportive spaces for the mutual sharing of grief.

We’re calling you to ignite your torch in the fire and illuminate with us a procession of hope through another dark winter. You are needed and you are welcomed.

Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash

What keeps your firelight burning?

What keeps your firelight burning?

This is the light that guides you through dark days. This is the fire that warms you in the cold. This firelight draws community to huddle in hope.

When the pandemic began the world shifted for so many of us overnight. Artists lost their venues and exhibition spaces. Studios shut down.

The questions were about immediate survival. Short term strategies. How to pivot for the next few months?

We weren’t thinking about the long haul. We weren’t considering the spiritual tools we would need to last through a cold dark winter in this new reality.

Firelight is this year’s theme at Bleeding Heart.

We’re looking for embers of hope in our community. We’re featuring artists who have found a way to keep the firelight burning in these times of anxiety and isolation.

We’re finding new ways to huddle together around the heat and light.

We hope you will join us around the firelight.

Photo by Joshua Newton on Unsplash

The Burns Family Healing Camp

The Burns Family Healing Camp 

Exhibition at All Saints Anglican Cathedral, 10035 103 St NW, Edmonton

Begins March 1, 2020

produced by Bleeding Heart Art Space

In late summer of 2019, generations of the Burns family gathered for a healing cultural camp on the shores of Pigeon Lake, the Wapihoo (White Owl) Healing Camp.

For the next six weeks, you can experience the camp from the perspective of Burns family members. The poetry, personal photographs, and stories they graciously share with us in this exhibit provide an opening for each of us to understand more deeply the courage, strength, and vision that healing - body, mind, heart, and spirit - from their experiences of residential school requires, and the great power of recovering Cree language, culture, and ceremonies.

Here is a glimpse of some of the voices and views from the exhibit -

“The Healing camp was the beginning of our journey to re-integrate our Cree culture and bring forth land-based teachings and the traditions ...The Healing ceremonies led by Elders are a big part of my spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being and will assist the next generation with stronger and better ways to cope when facing adversity.”

Norma Burns

“The healing cultural camp brought new beginnings for myself and my own family as we continue this journey, moving forward and learning our traditional sacred culture. The Apology from the Anglican Church was extremely emotional to hear first hand...it is deeply needed. As an Elder said, forgiveness is not forgetting but in time the shadows will fade. I am looking forward to many more family healing gatherings.”

Marcia Burns

“I can never go back to what once was. All I can do is move forward in my healing journey and become a better person, mother, and grandmother. Healing means being fully present and conscious. I am willing and able to reclaim what was taken from me. Through ceremonies, Indigenous knowledge, and ancestral teaching from our Elders, I pray my daughters and grand-daughters will become more powerful than ever and realize that their own value and worth will never be taken from them.”

Irene Nattress

“I value the teachings, drumming, and dancing of all the members of our family. Participating in activities such as these promote kinship ties and build stronger spirits. The combination of Wāhkohtowin (Kinship) and Sakihitowin (Love) channel wholesome health to all of our emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical states.”

Eliza Hilliar (Burns)

Bleeding Heart Temporary Space Series launches with "Artifact of Place"

We’ve moved out of our space at the top of the stairs to pursue new options for public art displays and events along the Avenue, with a series called “Bleeding Heart Temporary Space”.

We loved the intimate nature and natural lighting of our previous space, as well as our great neighbours, but we struggled with the space’s lack of accessibility and visibility.

This year, we will be investing in moments of creativity and connection, rather than using our resources to manage a year-round space. We’re ready to see how art and faith can dance together in new corners of our neighbourhood, and are excited to have found some wheelchair accessible, street-front, community spaces to set the stage!

The inaugural exhibition of this series will be Artifact of Place, by Deltra Powney.

““These sculptures are a reflection of experiences processed through the filter of anthropogenic responsibility, and are artifacts of a place that exists between what was and what is yet to be.”

- From the Exhibition Statement of Deltra Powney’s Artifact of Place, October 2019”

This October, Deltra’s sculptures will be presented in 2 different contexts simultaneously: at a main gallery site at 11807 92 St, and in St.Faith’s Anglican Church - our Bleeding Heart headquarters. Deltra will be installing a few works in our narthex: the indoor “porch” space that leads people towards the sanctuary from the main entrance of the building. It has old wooden architectural elements and liminal aspects that speak in unison with her creations.

The space at 11807 is also a place of transition, but in a much different way. The space is owned by one of our Avenue neighbours, and has been a few different things in its past life, including a restaurant. Now, the old, decaying interior has been ripped out and is being remade into a safe and usable environment for the community. Our neighbours are pausing construction for the month of October and have generously agreed to host Artifact of Place in the midst of their revitalization work. We think it’s the perfect time and place to display the main collection of Deltra’s Artifacts, and we invite you to come experience the work on Saturdays from 11 AM - 3 PM (or other days by appointment) from October 5th - 27th.

Opening Reception - Artifact of Place

October 5th, 11 AM - 3 PM, with Artist Talk at 1 PM

11807 92 St (main gallery site)

Admission-free. Refreshments provided. All are welcome.

Image courtesy of the artist

Bleeding Heart Art... Temporary Spaces?

This fall, we’re moving outside the box and into different places.

Sharing new creations and old stories...

...inhabiting the in-between...

…Seeking out beauty and wonder...

…Gathering together.

Why?

Increased accessibility. Increased visibility. Increased community.

Because healthy things adapt, develop, and grow.

“Before we ever opened a gallery, we were a movement. We still are, and this is our Manifesto. Our reason for existing. Our map.”

This fall, we invite you to gather with us. To share with us. To seek with us. To find and create beauty with us. To grow with us. To follow the map with us and see where it leads.

The details are coming soon, and we can hardly wait to share them with you.

Stay tuned!

Blended Realities: healing cultural scars

Relationship. Control. Agency. Hope.

At the core of Tamires Para's creative process lives a relationship between artist and model that pushes beyond visual representation and opens up a space for healing to begin.

The relationships that Para develops with the subjects of her paintings begin with personal connection, as survivors of insidious trauma. As mutual trust grows between model and artist, the images begin to take shape.

A crucial aspect of this relationship is the control that the model has over the image. It is important to Para that her models possess and maintain agency over how their bodies are being represented at every stage. Para invites the models to pose in any manner, then reviews each sketch, photograph, and painting with them, only using the images that are OK'd by the models.

The paintings that are currently on display at the Bleeding Heart Art Space are products of a partnership. The works are not only visually compelling in their own right, but they testify that art can be a powerful social, emotional, and mental tool for building bridges between people of different cultures and establish pathways out of self-loathing and feelings of deep shame.

We are honored to be hosting Blended Realities: healing cultural scars in our Space until May 4th, and invite you to come see it for yourself.

Following this exhibit, Tamires Para will be showing a larger body of paintings and process material at her MFA thesis exhibit at the U of A's FAB Gallery, May 14 - June 8. Exhibit description: Tamires' art depicts the multiple facets of her experience growing up in Brazilian patriarchal society. Her painting practice focuses on reflections about the scarring that patriarchal society has imprinted on herself and how it shaped her world views and self-esteem; a small sample of the sustained trauma women have to endure under patriarchy. This body of paintings is the result of working from the imagery of herself and from the model. She sees their bodies as clay for her to digitally shape, distort, and scar; they are the bridge that gaps our experience of trauma. Through art, she seeks to engage in a cathartic process which she shares in this exhibition.

image credit: Their Body Through Me by Tamires Para, courtesy of the artist

A Behind the Scenes Podcast of "Limited Time Offer"

The following is a repost from The Creative Throb by Brittney Roy.

My good friend Carly Greene sent me a message saying, “Hey maybe this is a crazy idea but would you want me to do a guest interview of you about your show for the Throb site?”

Anytime a sentence starts with “Hey maybe this is a crazy idea but…” I’m in!

Carly is a sculptor who currently works from Edmonton, Alberta and recently finished a year long internship at the Banff Centre. Check out Carly’s work here.

Carly was interested in discussing my work at the Bleeding Heart Art Space but more so she wanted to capture the entire process of what goes into an art installation. 

In this interview we talk about the proposal, the acceptance, the process leading up to install, install itself and the strike, among other topics!

https://soundcloud.com/user-929202027/introduction-to-the-creative-throb-a-podcast

or check out the original post on thecreativethrob.ca: https://www.thecreativethrob.ca/2019/01/22/introduction-to-the-creative-throb/

YOU'RE INVITED!

“Limited Time Offer” closing reception

Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

11AM – 3PM

Artist talk at 1:30PM

Come say hi & enjoy some refreshments