The Polygon Gallery’s newest exhibition, Star Witnesses, explores the connection between the cosmos and human experience.
From June 27 to Sept. 28, this significant group exhibition features celebrated Canadian and international artists. They utilize the night sky as a theme to explore migration, memory, and the untold narratives that shape our world.
“In Star Witnesses at The Polygon, artists use the night sky as a universal canvas for their narratives, daring to make imaginative leaps between events lightyears away and the complexities of human history,” said curator Monika Szewczyk. She hopes visitors will recognize themselves as witnesses too, reflecting on their place within these shared stories.
“The theme didn’t come first,” Szewczyk said. “It emerged organically, as I encountered strong works over the years that used the night sky to tell stories that are often overlooked, suppressed, or difficult.”
The exhibition features a diverse roster of artists, including Thomas Ruff, Daniel Boyd, Carrie Mae Weems, Paul Wong, Vija Celmins, David Horvitz, Bouchra Khalili and Judy Radul.
“Each artist and collective was invited because they chose astral imagery to relay a fascinating story that struggles to see the light of day. It is indeed a journey through time, space, and human experience,” Szewczyk said.
While photography remains central to The Polygon Gallery’s identity, Star Witnesses expands its reach, said Szewczyk. Visitors will encounter not just photographs but also prints, video installations, film, and artist books.
“I wanted the exhibition to reflect the richness of contemporary art practice,” she said.
This organic approach is reflected in the diverse roster of artists, each of whom Szewczyk encountered at different points in her career. She first discovered Thomas Ruff’s astronomical photography as a student at UBC. She said she has presented his most comprehensive Vancouver display, recomposing archival sky atlas images into new cosmic visions.
Bouchra Khalili’s Constellation Series, which Szewczyk first encountered at the Venice Biennale, employs astral patterns to chart the perilous journeys of migrants from Africa and West Asia.
“From afar, the prints resemble star charts, but up close, they trace the paths of people seeking safety and dignity, challenging the idea of national borders and highlighting the contributions of Arabic astronomers,” Szewczyk said.
Carrie Mae Weems’s work, which Szewczyk admired in major exhibitions in Europe and at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, delves into her grandfather’s harrowing escape from racial violence in the American South.
“Guided by the North Star, her grandfather found freedom in Chicago, which is a narrative that Weems brings to life through evocative photographic prints,” Szewczyk explained.
Vija Celmins’s small-scale night sky drawings, on loan from local collections, are the result of years of painstaking work shaped by her displacement after the Second World War. Szewczyk described her appreciation for Celmins’s art as a “secret love,” noting the quiet intensity and ethical commitment embedded in each piece.
The works of Daniel Boyd, an Aboriginal and Islander artist from Australia, are unique in that they use celestial imagery to explore Indigenous histories and the impact of colonialism, Szewczyk said. She added that this immersive two-channel video installation required the gallery to build a custom cinema space.
Speaking of other exhibits, Szewczyk said that local artist Judy Radul’s multimedia project, This is Television, developed after a prestigious residency in Berlin DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program, is a humorous and quirky work with a connection to the moon. It’s a connection that makes Radul’s work a perfect fit for Star Witnesses, said Szewczyk.
Furthermore, the postcard project from the Urban Subjects collective captured an image outside of Traiskirchen, one of Europe’s largest refugee camps in Austria, balancing hope and hardship.
“The night sky aims to be hopeful but also contains a kind of realism: images of the stars can look dreamy, but also can mean that you don’t have a roof over your head,” said Szewczyk.
Similarly, she said, David Horvitz’s work For Kyoko, borrowed from the Belkin Art Gallery at UBC, features a photograph of the starry sky above the former grounds of a Japanese internment camp from the Second World War, where Horvitz’s grandmother was interned.
Star Witnesses launches with an opening celebration on June 26 at 7 p.m., featuring a live audio-visual performance by Ruby Singh. Throughout the exhibition, guided tours are offered every Saturday in multiple languages, led by gallery staff and community partners, to make the show accessible to a diverse community. Admission is by donation, courtesy of BMO Financial Group.
The Polygon Gallery is located at 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver, and is open Wednesday to Sunday, with extended hours on Thursdays for Deckchair Cinema sci-fi film nights throughout the summer.
Shobana Shanmugasamy is a student intern reporting for the North Shore News. She can be reached at [email protected].
