Opening: Fishers, Curtis Botham

Fishers / Curtis Botham
Opening Reception: Feb 15, 12-2pm
Everyone welcome – Light refreshments – Free admission

Exhibition continues February 15 – March 29, ARTSPLACE Main Gallery

Artist-in-residence: March 1-29 (supported through The Robert Pope Foundation)

Description:
‘Fishers’ is a project I’ve been working on since 2021. Building off of my prior projects that focused on Nova Scotia’s heavy industries in rural areas (coal, lumber, and steel), this project examines the most quintessential industry of the province: commercial fishing.

This exhibition encompasses all of the large-scale charcoal artworks I’ve made for this project so far. It takes a documentary approach which aims to cut through the sentimental, picturesque depictions of quaint fishing villages seen in giftshops, and instead depicts commercial fishing as it really looks, including the labour and processes involved in taking fish from sea to plate.

About the Artist:
Curtis Botham graduated from NSCAD University in 2017. He has won numerous grants and awards, including scholarships from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, and numerous grants from Arts Nova Scotia and the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. His large-scale charcoal drawings have been displayed in galleries around Nova Scotia, and three of his works have been purchased by the Nova Scotia Art Bank. Since 2017, he has been interested in exploring the origins, impacts, and labour involved in the products that make up our material culture, and the social and environmental effects that industry and consumerism has on our lives. Since 2021, this focus on industry and labour has centered around the fishing industry in Nova Scotia.

Some of Curtis’ artwork can be seen at curtisbotham.weebly.com. He can be contacted at ctbotham@gmail.com.