I thought about Caleb and Tom Chan twice in Vancouver, once as I walked past the gorgeous Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC and again as I entered the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) wondering when the new gallery would be built (slated to be named Chan Centre for the Visual Arts). The brothers have donated about 50 million dollars to these projects. Their philanthropic efforts are global. Upon returning home this week, I was confronted with the news that they are being investigated by the CRA for tax evasion. It seems that they are caught up in the KPMG scandal where wealthy Canadians have decided that it is better to hide money in the Isle of Man than pay fair taxes. One should pay taxes. It confuses me that they can be so right and so wrong at exactly the same time. The CBC quoted Caleb as saying, “[our] goal was always to ensure the sustainability of [our] charitable giving,” and that, “our family has faith that our goal and genuine intentions, our values, and our contributions to make Canada and the world a better place will intimately shine through.” I certainly hope this is the case.
The Giacometti show is front and center at the VAG this summer. The show was a stroll through memory lane thinking back to my daughter’s existential university days and an amazing essay that she wrote on this artist (truth be known she didn’t remember the brilliant essay and existential discussions persist to this day). The show was quiet: time for reflection and memory. One must trust the artists’ own interpretation of the work and believe that through his obsessive subtractive sculptural works he was capturing the essence of the person and as he put it the “shadow”. I just can’t avoid making the connections to the images of Holocaust survivors and the vision of their emaciated bodies emerging from the camps. Having lived through both tragic World Wars, and having completed the most famous figurative work following WWII, I struggle to understand that the artist doesn’t make these observations about his work. As I write this I feel that I have no right to have this opinion, yet I also know that we often stand in front of artworks knowing nothing of the artist, not always knowledgeable about the time period, unfamiliar with the style, yet we are free to analyze and make judgments. I will cut myself some slack on this work and just feel what I feel.
Vancouver is beautiful. I have come to believe that it is because of its vibrant, independent art scene. Artist influence is everywhere. The city is thoughtfully designed: manhole covers, parks and gardens, hydro boxes, buildings, boats, storefronts, signage, craft beer logos, menus, etc. I happened to be there during the mural festival. Did you know that it has been alive and well for years and to date, according to the map, 100 murals have been painted to adorn the city. Granville’s Railspur district is a thriving area for the arts and houses textile, ceramic, woodworking, and metalworking craftsmen. It is always a pleasure to spend time with the artists to talk about their work. If you are heading to Granville, don’t miss The Hang Out Place and treat yourself to the most comfortable hammocks on the planet. I have one in my studio and others in the forest.
I must mention that I was introduced to two lovely entrepreneurs - both women - on Main Street who run Rath, an independent art supply store, and Urban Source, a most exciting recycled art supply store. Both are worth a trip for great conversation and art finds.
Good-bye Vancouver, until we meet again.
