Kelly Richardson
EMBERS AND THE GIANTS
Embers and the Giants presents an endangered, old-growth forest during twilight, articulated by thousands of embers of light. Initial impressions may be that we are witness to a rare, exceptionally beautiful display of fireflies. Then again, human intervention may be at play, suggesting a time when we’ll need to amplify nature in order to convince the public of its worth.
Taking cues from 19th-century landscape painting, 20th-century cinema, and 21st-century planetary research, Kelly Richardson crafts video installations and photographs that offer imaginative glimpses into the future that prompt a careful consideration of the present. Her work has been selected for the Beijing, Busan, Canadian, Gwangju and Montréal biennales, as well as major moving image exhibitions internationally including TIFF and Sundance Film Festival. Her work is represented in many significant museum collections including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, SMoCA, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Arts Council Collection (England) and Towner. Recent one person exhibitions include Dundee Contemporary Arts, SMoCA, CAG Vancouver, VOID Derry, Laing Art Gallery, Natural History Museum Vienna and a major survey at the Albright-Knox. After 14 years in the UK, in 2017 Richardson emigrated back to Canada to live and work on Vancouver Island.