To end their Winter season programming, Lipont Gallery and YouKnowArts present Summer, a solo exhibition by Long Gao. Ironically titled, this exhibition presents a series of artworks depicting summer sunsets and sunrises against the current dark and cold winter weather. The golden metallic hues of the paintings change throughout the day, depending on the weather and personal spatial position, giving gallery visitors the opportunity to experience the work in a manner that is solely unique to them.
Location: Lipont Gallery and YouKnowArts
4211 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 2C3
Exhibition Dates: February 5th to February 28th
Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm
Weekends by appointment.
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 5th from 2-5pm
Masks, proof of vaccination, and ID are required to attend the reception.
Artist Statement: This series aims to distill the visceral experience of a moment though the representation of pure light. Think of these paintings as encapsulations of sunlight, as if I could reach into the landscape, grab a handful, and throw it onto the canvas.
Many thin washes of metallic hues layer blankets of gestural brushstrokes between masses of golden points. The metallics catch the light and reflect it back towards the viewer, creating different effects depending on the angle and lighting conditions under which the piece is seen. The paintings are meant to be viewed from a variety of different angles, exposing hidden brush strokes and patterns that can only be seen when the light is reflected in a particular way. When observed for longer periods of time, the viewer’s eyes begin to adjust to the subtle shades of yellow to reveal variations in movement, colour, and gesture.
About the Artist: Long Gao is a Chinese Canadian artist currently based in Vancouver, Canada. He was born in Beijing, raised in British Columbia, and educated in Toronto where he graduated from OCAD University in 2014. In 2017, he completed two artist residencies in Spain, one in Barcelona and the other in a national park in the Andalusia Region. In 2019, he took part in a 3-month artist residency program in Berlin, where he lived and worked for 6 months before returning to Vancouver. Gao has held public exhibitions in Toronto, Barcelona, Berlin, and Vancouver as well as a virtual exhibition in 2020 during the pandemic.
For questions/inquiries, contact: Patrick Li Pascal
patrick.l.pascal@lipont.com / 778-288-5108