Contemporary Connections: Mandarin Tour

May 10
Flanagan Family Gallery | 1 PM

Discover Contemporary Calgary’s exhibitions like never before with Contemporary Connections, a guided tour of June Clark: Witness offered in Mandarin. Led by Dandan Gu this tour provides unique insights into our thought-provoking exhibitions, fostering conversation and meaningful connections in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

After the tour, take the opportunity to explore our other exhibitions and enjoy everything Contemporary Calgary has to offer.

• Admission: Included with the cost of entry—$12 daily admission, or by donation for visitors under 25. Memberships and Canoo passes are also accepted. Paid upon arrival.

• Registration: Advance registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome if space allows.

We invite you to share which languages you’d like to see in future tours as we continue to bring people together through the shared experience of contemporary art. Email us at info@contemporarycalgary.com with your suggestions!

当代联结：普通话讲解

5月10日 下午 1:00

在“当代联结”项目中，我们邀请您以全新的视角探索Contemporary Calgary！首场普通话讲解活动将由顾丹丹带您走入艺术家June Clark的展览Witness，深入感受作品背后的思想与情感。这场艺术之旅不仅呈现独特的艺术视角，更将激发深度对话，联结彼此，让您在开放与包容的氛围中，重新体会艺术的力量。

讲解活动结束后，欢迎您继续漫步展厅，探索更多精彩展览，尽享 Contemporary Calgary 带来的艺术体验。

门票：常规日票12加元（25岁以下访客可自愿捐款入场），会员及Canoo通行证有效。费用于到场时支付。  

预约：建议提前登记，若有余位亦接受现场参与。  

时长：1小时导览+自由问答/交流  

我们期待通过当代艺术的交流联结更多人。您希望未来推出哪种语言的讲解？欢迎发送建议至info@contemporarycalgary.com  

About the Facilitator

Dandan Gu
(she/her)

Dandan Gu graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts with a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication Design. Prior to that, she obtained her first bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China. Dandan has worked as a graphic designer for various companies and creative projects. Currently, she passionately serves as an educational assistant for art-making programs within the community, sharing her creative expertise with young learners. In her free time, Dandan enjoys practicing ink art, Chinese calligraphy, and illustrating cats and people around her.

顾丹丹是一位对当代艺术与中国文化充满热情的艺术教育者。她先后毕业于阿尔伯塔省艺术大学视觉艺术设计专业与上海理工大学市场营销专业。在投身艺术教育之前，她曾在多个设计项目中担任平面设计师，擅于将设计、叙事与文化元素巧妙融合。

现在，她专注于社区艺术教育，带领孩子们通过动手实践，以轻松有趣的方式探索艺术世界。她对插画与书法尤为热爱，常融汇传统与当代技法，探索多元的艺术表达。她喜欢画猫和身边的人，喜欢用简单温暖的笔触捕捉生活中不经意的瞬间。

Supported by

Artist-led Tour: Efflorescence/The Way We Wake

April 5
Ring Gallery | 2-3 PM

To mark the closing of Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos: Efflorescence/The Way We Wake, please join us for a guided tour of the exhibition led by Marigold Santos.

In this tour, Santos will reflect on some of the major themes in the exhibition, as well as on her collaborative practice with Rajni Perera.

Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos: Efflorescence/The Way We Wake is on view at Contemporary Calgary until April 6, 2025.

About the Artist

Marigold Santos (she/her) was born in the Philippines, and immigrated with her family to Canada in 1988. She pursues an interdisciplinary art practice that examines notions of heritage, folklore, motherwork, and decolonization presented within the otherworldly. Her paintings, drawings, sculptures, and tattoo work explores self-hood and identity that embraces multiplicity, fragmentation, and empowerment, as informed by diasporic experiences. She holds a BFA from the University of Calgary, and an MFA from Concordia University. As a recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, she continues to exhibit widely across Canada.

Efflorescence / The Way We Wake Exhibition Tour: Carte Blanche to Dianne Miranda

March 29
Ring Gallery | 5-6 PM

Join us for an interpretive tour of Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos: Efflorescence / The Way We Wake, led by Dianne Miranda. Drawing on their own experience as a Filipinx Calgarian and sharing personal insights into the work, Miranda will be making connections between both artists’ practices and the transnational dimensions of diasporic experiences.
This program is organized in conjunction with Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos: Efflorescence / The Way We Wake, on view at Contemporary Calgary until April 6, 2025.

About the Facilitator

Dianne Miranda (they/them) was born and raised in the Philippines. They have been a grateful uninvited settler in Moh’kins’tsis for almost ten years now. Dianne is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary completing a combined Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Sexuality Studies with an embedded certificate in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience. They work for The Gauntlet, the University of Calgary’s independent student publication as the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, where they primarily write about the arts community in their free time. Dianne has also been involved in the local Filipino/a/x community through a project commissioned by Filipinos Rising (FRIENDS) and Salingpusa Magazine. They strive to live by the value of kapwa in all aspects of their life.

The CabCo Presents

Contemporary Cabaret

October 17 | 7:00 PM

A collaboration event with Contemporary Calgary. Join us for a spectacular evening of performances inspired by the work of Marcel Dzama's latest exhibit; Ghosts of Canoe Lake.
Presented by The CabCo, Western Canada's largest cabaret production house. This event brings drag, burlesque, performance art and dance to the stage for a one-of-a-kind experience. Accompanied by a free tour of the exhibit beforehand.

This event is ticketed & 18+

Performances by:
Karla Marx
Bitch Sassidy
Mx Jendr
Dogiichow
Holtasoli
Babz Uka

Timeline:
Exhibit tour (free & optional): 5:30 PM - REGISTER HERE
Cabaret doors open: 6:30 PM
Cabaret begins: 7:00 PM

Special thanks to our sponsors:
Annex Ale Project
Lawrence Interior Design Inc.

Poster design by:
Mike Hooves

Closing Tour: Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama

October 17 | 5:30 PM
Ring Gallery

As Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama comes to a close, please join us for a tour of the exhibition, led by Assistant Curator Muriel N. Kahwagi.

Delving into some of the art historical references that colour and contour Dzama’s practice – including Pablo Picasso, the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson, Lawren Harris, George Méliès, Francis Picabia, Maurice Sendak, and Federico García Lorca – the tour will shed light on the ways in which Dzama’s work navigates the interplay between the real and the fictitious.

The tour will be followed by Contemporary Cabaret, a burlesque and drag performance, organized in collaboration with The Cabo, western Canada's largest cabaret company. This performance is inspired by some of the works on view in Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama. Contemporary Cabaret is a ticketed event - CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama is co-organized by Contemporary Calgary and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and will be on view at Contemporary Calgary until October 27, 2024.

About the Artist

Marcel Dzama (he/him)

Since rising to prominence in the late 1990s, Marcel Dzama (b. 1974) has developed an immediately recognizable visual language that draws from folk vernacular, art-historical, and contemporary influences. 

Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Dzama received his BFA in 1997 from the University of Manitoba. Since 1998, his work has been represented by David Zwirner. He has exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad. In November 2023, Dzama presented To Live on the Moon (For Lorca) a film and performance commissioned by Performa as part of Performa Biennial 2023. Recent solo exhibitions by the artist include Marcel Dzama: Viviendo en el limbo y soñando con el paraíso at the Museo de Arte de Zapopan (MAZ), Mexico, in 2022; Marcel Dzama: An End to the End Times at the Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art, Georgia, in 2021; and Marcel Dzama: Tonight We Dance at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland, in 2021. 

Curator-led tour: Marie Lannoo: In Extremis

October 9 | 5-6 PM
Morris & Ann Dancyger Observatory Gallery

To mark the closing of Marie Lannoo: In Extremis, please join us for a guided tour of the exhibition, led by guest curator Wayne Baerwaldt.

In Extremis presents a new body of work that Marie Lannoo produced during the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting on the relationship between light, colour, transparency, and materiality. The exhibition is on view in the Morris & Ann Dancyger Observatory Gallery until October 13, 2024.

Free with registration.

About the Artist

Marie Lannoo (she/her)

Marie Lannoo

Marie Lannoo was born in Delhi, Ontario. She attended the University of Saskatchewan and studied painting at the Banff School of Arts and at Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops as well as in Virton, Belgium. Her work has been shown in exhibitions throughout Canada and internationally.   

Moving between abstraction and representation, Lannoo’s paintings exert a potent physiological effect on viewers. Imminent art historian Roald Nasgaard comments: “Lannoo’s work draws the viewer deep into internal illusions replete with reflected invasions from the external world. At the same time, it reaches out to embrace and enfold itself around the body of the viewer, who sees the world as if with eyes in the back of his/her/their head.”

About the Curator

Wayne Baerwaldt

Wayne Baerwaldt has curated a wide range of exhibitions and events including Pierre Molinier, The Royal Art Lodge: Ask the Dust, Adam Pendleton: BAND, Gabriela Garcia-Luna, Paul P: Something Cloudy, Something Clear, and If I May Digress: Richard Boulet and Collaborators, among others. He has contributed articles and essays to Art&Text, Border Crossings, Parkett, Art on Paper, TIME, Guia des Artes, Poliester, Inuit Quarterly, Art Paper, and numerous catalogues. 

CULTURE CLUB

Natural Wine Tasting: Unconventional Colours and Conversation with Garneau Block

August 21
Doors: 6:45 PM | Tasting: 7 PM

Culture Club members are invited to a Natural Wine Tasting, inspired by the vibrant colour field paintings of Marie Lannoo in her solo exhibition In Extremis, currently on view.  

While exploring the vivid flavours and colours we will learn what natural wine is, and how to talk about natural wine from the experts at Garneau Block, the largest natural wine focused agency in the province. 

Throughout the evening you will enjoy four wine and cheese pairings, an opportunity to view In Extremis after hours, followed by an exhibition inspired dessert. 

If you are interested in learning more about the event and Culture Club, please contact Alison at alison@contemporarycalgary.com.

About the Artist

Marie Lannoo

Marie Lannoo was born in Delhi, Ontario. She attended the University of Saskatchewan and studied painting at the Banff School of Arts and at Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops as well as in Virton, Belgium. Her work has been shown in exhibitions throughout Canada and internationally.   

Moving between abstraction and representation, Lannoo’s paintings exert a potent physiological effect on viewers. Imminent art historian Roald Nasgaard comments: “Lannoo’s work draws the viewer deep into internal illusions replete with reflected invasions from the external world. At the same time, it reaches out to embrace and enfold itself around the body of the viewer, who sees the world as if with eyes in the back of his/her/their head.”their own creative journey of self expression.

Artist-led tour: Marie Lannoo: In Extremis

July 24 | 4-5 PM
Morris & Ann Dancyger Observatory Gallery

Marie Lannoo's solo show In Extremis presents a new body of work that the artist produced during the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting on the relationship between light, colour, transparency, and materiality.

To mark the recent addition of the sculptural work Through and Through and Through #20 (2009) to the exhibition, Lannoo will be giving a tour of the show, exploring the main themes behind her practice.

Marie Lannoo: In Extremis is curated by Wayne Baerwaldt, and is on view in the Morris & Ann Dancyger Observatory Gallery until October 13, 2024.

About the Artist

Marie Lannoo was born in Delhi, Ontario. She attended the University of Saskatchewan and studied painting at the Banff School of Arts and at Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops as well as in Virton, Belgium. Her work has been shown in exhibitions throughout Canada and internationally.   

Moving between abstraction and representation, Lannoo’s paintings exert a potent physiological effect on viewers. Imminent art historian Roald Nasgaard comments: “Lannoo’s work draws the viewer deep into internal illusions replete with reflected invasions from the external world. At the same time, it reaches out to embrace and enfold itself around the body of the viewer, who sees the world as if with eyes in the back of his/her/their head.”

NaAC Artist Tours: Storytellers

April 4

4:00-5:00 PM | Auditorium + Ring Gallery

NaAC Artist Tours: Storytellers, led by Michelle “Magic” Bennie, applies unconventional narratives and storytelling to Contemporary Calgary's current exhibition, Resistance & Respiration, curated by Amanda Cachia. Following a four-week residency immersed in the exhibition, Bennie will take lead participants on a stimulating exhibition tour to foster new themes and connections. 

Michelle Bennie, born in 1979 in Calgary, has been with the National accessArts Centre since 2017. Her artistic practice primarily involves creating her "stained glass" images with markers on paper, exploring themes like family, nature, society, and architecture. Each work starts with a title, followed by a particular process of applying pencil, black marker, and colour combination. Michelle's art curation work, including innovative approaches to exhibition organization, was showcased at the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation's Improv Festival in 2021. 

This program provides a unique opportunity to view art from a different angle, guided by an artist who combines the creation and curation of art with storytelling. 

Join us following the tour for FREE First Thursdays offering complimentary admission from 5-9 PM!

About the Speaker

Michelle “Magic” Bennie (she/her)

Michelle “Magic” Bennie (born 1979) is a Canadian artist raised in Calgary, Alberta attending the National access Arts Centre since 2017. Bennie is a prolific artist, drawing since she could hold a pencil. Most often working in marker on paper, Bennie has produced thousands of works exploring repeated themes of her children, grids, animals, social events, and architecture. She begins each work with a title and layers pencil, black marker, and colour.  Her experimental and emerging curatorial practice has been featured in the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation’s Improv Festival (2021).  

Supported By

NaAC Artist Tours: Storytellers

February 14

4:00-5:00 PM | Auditorium + Flanagan Family Gallery

NaAC Artist Tours: Storytellers, led by Michelle “Magic” Bennie, applies unconventional narratives and storytelling to Contemporary Calgary's current exhibition, Three Dimensions, by Jennifer Marman & Daniel Borins. Following a four-week residency immersed in the exhibition, Bennie will take lead participants on a stimulating exhibition tour to foster new themes and connections. 

Michelle Bennie, born in 1979 in Calgary, has been with the National accessArts Centre since 2017. Her artistic practice primarily involves creating her "stained glass" images with markers on paper, exploring themes like family, nature, society, and architecture. Each work starts with a title, followed by a particular process of applying pencil, black marker, and colour combination. Michelle's art curation work, including innovative approaches to exhibition organization, was showcased at the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation's Improv Festival in 2021.

This program provides a unique opportunity to view art from a different angle, guided by an artist who combines the creation and curation of art with storytelling.

About the Speaker

Michelle “Magic” Bennie (she/her)

Michelle “Magic” Bennie (born 1979) is a Canadian artist raised in Calgary, Alberta attending the National access Arts Centre since 2017. Bennie is a prolific artist, drawing since she could hold a pencil. Most often working in marker on paper, Bennie has produced thousands of works exploring repeated themes of her children, grids, animals, social events, and architecture. She begins each work with a title and layers pencil, black marker, and colour.  Her experimental and emerging curatorial practice has been featured in the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation’s Improv Festival (2021).  

Supported By