The City of Port Coquitlam showcases the works of local and regional artists in a series of new art exhibitions in Leigh Square and at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre.
The opening reception for these exhibitions will take place on Thursday, Feburary 6, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Michael Wright Art Gallery, located in the Gathering Place (#200-2253 Leigh Square). The public is invited to attend this free event to celebrate the artists and their work.
Featured exhibitions include:
- A Balance of Dichotomies –Paintings, drawings and sculptural installations by Leah Biggs, Darcy Mann, and Jenny Smith. Presented in the Michael Wright Art Gallery.
- Scheherazade Tells Stories… – Mixed media paintings and sculptures by Shahrzad Laali. Presented in the Outlet Gallery.
- Place Portraits – A community-focused project by Keely O’Brien. Presented in the City Hall Gallery.
Michael Wright Art Gallery
The Michael Wright Art Gallery in the Gathering Place presents A Balance of Dichotomies by Leah Biggs, Darcy Mann, and Jenny Smith. In this group exhibition Biggs, Mann, and Smith draw inspiration from the landscape, and the aerial beings that inhabit it.
Smith transforms driftwood into mysterious sculptural forms hung with found objects embeded in resin and translucent fabric. Biggs’ drawings of crows are imbued with expression and personality. Mann’s bees and flies verge on the scientific. The artists pair these winged creatures with painted landscapes. Mann’s realistic paintings find beauty in unusual landscape elements like the “banal shrub”, while Biggs’ abstracted landscapes are inspired by a sense of place and her experiences within it.
Each of the three artists’ tackle their art with the balance of what is seen, what is felt, and what works - a balance of dichotomies.
leahbiggsart.com
darcymann.com
jennysmith.ca
Leah Biggs, Darcy Mann, and Jenny Smith will give an artist talk at the City’s Cultural Roundtable on Thursday, April 17 at 5:00 p.m. Visit portcoquitlam.ca/culturalroundtable for details.
Outlet Gallery
The Outlet Gallery presents Scheherazade Tells Stories by Shahrzad Laali. Laali is an Iranian immigrant artist based in Vancouver, BC, whose work is deeply rooted in personal and collective experiences. In this solo exhibition, she explores the layered realities of life as a female immigrant artist. Each piece in this exhibition, invites viewers to witness the journey of hope, longing, and resilience shared by those who strive to build new lives in foreign lands.
instagram.com/shahrzad.laali
City Hall Gallery
The City Hall Gallery presents Place Portraits by Keely O’Brien and community members who took part in her Artist-in-Residence project at the Outlet in fall 2024. Inspired by the homes embedded in family histories, Keely invited community members to share significant places that resonate with them—whether current, lost, or transformed spaces. These ‘place portraits’ offer both a collective archive and a personal reflection on spaces that shape our sense of belonging.
keelyobrien.ca
Port Coquitlam Community Centre Gallery
The Port Coquitlam Community Centre presents AS I RISE by contemporary artist Nicole Melnicky. In this solo exhibition, Melnicky embarks on a bold exploration of colour and its profound connection to queer identity. Each piece serves as a powerful statement, embracing the complexities and nuances of self-expression within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Through abstract forms and electrified colour, Melnicky envisions a mysterious, supernatural queer future.
nicolemelnicky.com
Nicole Melnicky will be giving an artist talk at the City’s Cultural Roundtable on Thursday, February 20, at 5:00 p.m. Visit portcoquitlam.ca/culturalroundtable for details.
The City Hall, Michael Wright, Outlet, and Port Coquitlam Community Centre Galleries feature a rotating program of exhibitions by local and regional artists. All galleries are free to the public. Visit portcoquitlam.ca/exhibitions for more information, including interviews with the artists and images of their artwork.
For more information on arts, culture, and heritage programs visit portcoquitlam.ca/arts or call 604-927-8440.
