y. November 13, 1998 ~ North Shore News — 15

B Change or Die exhibit (until Nov. 28) as part of
The, Nattral World at- Vancouver Art Gallery to Jan. 24, 1999.

Julie Wright -
‘Contributing Writer ;
ABOUT five years ago, 28-year-old Chris Brayshaw discovered his

: passion for the visual arts. Today, he is curating exhibitions in the
Lower Mainland’s biggest public art galleries and some prominent
commercial galleries as well. — ;
Asa U.B.C, student, Brayshaw’s nightly bus ride home via the Horseshoe Bay

. Express took him past the. glowing lobby of the MacMillan Blocdel building on
-Georgia. Hhiminated inside was a large mural that dominated the lobby and,
oon, his mind. _ . .
“I finally investigated and learned that it was a work by Jack Shadbolt,”
explains Brayshaw. He decided to find out more about the B.C. artist’s work and
purchased a book.. That book lead to more books, and before long, Brayshaw. was
systematically self-educating himself about the world of visual arts.
» « He began writing profiles of local artists for the North Shore News and
developed a freelance writing career that sustained him tor several years after uni-
versity. Earlier this year, Brayshaw was hired as the curatorial assistant at the
_ Vancouver Art Gallery. It’s a job he describes as “not quite a curator, not quite z-
secretary, but a commingling.” This description elicits a good chuckle from boss |
Bruce Grenville, the gallery’s senior curator, who explains that Brayshaw is not".
your. average curatorial assistant. : ce a
“> “Ideally, part of the role of this institution is to encourage and support
growth for younger curators,” explains Grenviile. In that spirit, the gallery
‘gave, Brayshaw the opportunity to curate a mini-exhibition on display until:
Noveinber 28) Entitled Change or Die, the exhibit showeases about nvo
; dozen works that Brayshaw selected from the gallery’s permanent collection
f 7,000 pieces. All the works complement, in one way or another, the works
-on-loan for The Natural World, a larger exhibition that features four interna-
tional artists. |. . . : “
~- There are all sorts of stages to an exhibition that the public never sees,”
explains Brayshaw. “Curating is a very labour intensive job. You must follow the
art every step of the way from the vault to the wall.”
For Change or Die, this meant spending clase to one month blowing dust off
erates in the, basement to find the right mix. It meant working in an institutional
“environment and navigating the works through a number of departments and juris-
-dictions. And it meant providing a name for the exhibit plus interpretative text for its
‘three major segments. .“Curating is a public job. One of the things that you want to
do is to try to convey some of the knowledge that you generated in the process of
=. kearning about the artwork and to share it with people.” : .
“Change or Die is comprised of three individual rooms, each with its own theme. The first
‘oom presents celebratory images of fragmented landscapes and figures and includes collage
ork and a painting by. B.C. poet bill bissett. The second room is more sombre and depicts
fragmented or disintegrating landscapes and figures conveying a social or political critique. The
Impending Nigaa Deal. Last Stand. Chump Change. by Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun best
embodics this theme while, at the same time, conveying a grim humour. At cight by seven feer,
this piece ‘anchors all. three rooms.” are ; .
“The final room in Change or Die leads the way into The Natural World and focuses on
abstractions of animals and insects. At provides a sn:ooth transition into the subject matter of

See Art page 26

TO SEE FRANK BLACK AT THE RAGE: DETAILS PAGE

Cover image: Cornelia Hease-Hi /