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The travelling art show – Chaos, Flow, Meander – has left Weyburn in late September and is on its way to Assiniboia at the beginning of October. Chaos, Flow, Meander will be exhibited at the Shurniak Gallery from October 3-23. The tour featuring the works of Hilary Johnstone, Greg Allen and Vanessa Hyggen is curated by Zoë Schneider, the Visual & Media Arts Coordinator. Both the tour and the show are organized through the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC).

This matchless show of three contrasting yet unified artists will continue until June 23, 2020 and be redisplayed in different areas of the province from the Chapel Gallery to Lloydminster. After Assiniboia, Chaos, Flow, Meander is reappearing at the Station Arts Centre in Rosthern from November 1-December 23.   

This exhibition confronts unstable patterns and complexities within each work of the artists forming Chaos, Flow, Meander. All three artists are encountering art with juxtaposing methods, but there’s unmistakable connections, making this travelling show a provocative and entertaining event unlike any other.

Hilary Johnstone created stunning visual depictions of the landscapes she discovered as she traversed the Precambrian shield and the lake country of northern Saskatchewan. The artist used textiles. She employed fabric, thread and needlepoint batting to create decorated quilts with lush textures as a way of expressing the artist’s inner impressions of venturing through the rugged landscapes of the province’s north.

Greg Allen sharpened the focus on mycelium and forest undergrowth in the works he’s showing in Chaos, Flow, Meander. Allen executed a selection of colourful paintings resembling the lurid but fascinating covers of science fiction novels from the 1950s. His inner-artistic frame has actively zoomed in like a macro photographer on the fragile and intricate patterns lying on the forest floor.

Vanessa Hyggen’s art is opposite to Allen’s paintings, particularly with her choice vantage points, preferring to zoom out to aerial views in the artworks she’s unveiled in this show. Her paintings in Chaos, Flow, Meander hover over industry in progress within Saskatchewan’s landscapes. Potash ponds and agricultural zones appear like patchwork quilts condensed in paint.

All three artists have advanced nature and landscapes by observing and emphasizing the rich patterns of life outdoors with divergent styles and originality. Although each of the three artists have differing visions – they’ve created colourful works which are still capable of conversing with one another, even if they’re opposed. Before visiting the Shurniak in October, Chaos, Flow, Meander has enthralled and engaged audiences all over Saskatchewan.