MOOSE JAW — The South Saskatchewan River and its ecosystems provided some inspiration for Gabriela García-Luna’s latest art exhibition, which focuses on the beauty of nature and appreciation of the land where people live.
“Land-Water-Passages” is the latest exhibit in the Norma Lang Gallery at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery (MJMAG), which runs from Friday, Feb. 7 to Sunday, April 27.
García-Luna uses a blend of digital collages, drawings, mark makings and sculptures to layer together photographic images of plants from places like Mexico and Saskatchewan. The works highlight the intangible, impermanent and fragile parts of the human experience — the places where existence becomes meaningful.
She has also created long, hanging tapestries depicting rivers and other bodies of water.
“I’m super excited for this show,” García-Luna said, noting her last exhibition here was in 2014.
Taking inspiration from nature was less a decision and more of a response to the surrounding environment for García-Luna, who is from Mexico but has lived in India, Moose Jaw — for 10 years — and now in Saskatoon.
“Nature is a place where I find myself in a very good place in contemplation of nature and in the company of nature (and) in the reflection of nature,” García-Luna said.
“… nature can teach us about life cycles, about beauty, about the very little things that seem unimportant, but then you are mesmerized by them (and) their perfection or their architecture or their meaning,” she continued.
“And that’s when I respond to nature. I find it’s like a reflection of intelligence beyond my own understanding.”
García-Luna’s experiences have embedded themselves in her artwork since some pieces are semi-abstract, while others are more explicit — rocks, trees, branches and flowers— in what they show. She noted that she is not strictly a photographer but is like a painter or musician who brings together different elements to create a whole.
Thus, viewers will see compositions of images that contain natural and botanical elements, with flora from Mexico and Saskatchewan. One artwork looks like a tiger lily from this province, although the artist said that was unintentional and viewers will see whatever comes to their minds.
“It’s more interesting to me how the viewer can relate to the work, even though it might be something that is coming from a different place,” said García-Luna. “I think there’s a commonality in the response we have in nature in a way.”
When viewers look at her work, García-Luna hopes they understand that they must appreciate the land where they live since it’s not something we own but a place from where we come. She noted that humans are similar to plants since the latter are rooted in the ground but don’t own it.
“So we are privileged to live off the land, but (we must) also … pay attention to it (and) to have a relationship with it,” she continued. “So, these are pieces that are not specifically prescribed. I don’t want to prescribe what people think or feel in the work.”
García-Luna highlighted how the South Saskatchewan River inspired several artworks since it runs through Saskatoon and is important to the community’s life. People can access the river — she lives several blocks away from it — throughout the Meewasin Valley, while few private properties block that access.
Furthermore, the river starts in the Rockies, crosses Saskatchewan, and exists in the Hudson Bay waterbody. Something García-Luna also discovered is the Saskatchewan River is the largest inland delta in North America, stretching from Mexico to the North Pole, making it “a hidden treasure.”
García-Luna travelled the river delta, researching and photographing as she went while she learned that those ecosystems are fragile but intelligent in how they adapt and shift to survive. Those characteristics informed the work she created.
“Every aspect of the (creativity) process is very engaging and interesting because it’s a whole journey of discovering for me,” she added. “I don’t come ever with the idea (that) I’m going to make this thing that is going to look this way. Never, I cannot do it … like that.”
The artist reception and talk are on Friday, April 4, at 7 p.m.
