Perry Rath
July 1 - July 31
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Perry Rath is an active artist and teacher born in SW Ontario, and since 2003 living on unceded Witsuwit'en territory of the Gidimt'en Clan near Smithers with his wife and three children. His diverse artwork of paintings, installations/objects, printmaking, collaborations and more has been exhibited in extensive regional, national and international venues for over 20 years. He explores many different concepts in his projects, seeking visual and conceptual relationships of memory, renewal, presence/absence, history, time, place, identity and communication.
His work has attracted the praise of the Governor-General of Canada, and been used in various international CDs, books, magazines, and BC Provincial Parks signage. He has represented his region in the cultural exposition accompanying the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Most recently, his works have been exhibited in Hungary, toured Germany with an 18-month long group show about rivers, and been in various shows across NW BC.
Perry Rath is the art teacher at Smithers Secondary School for 15 years ongoing, where he has received recognition for his innovative youth projects, presented at provincial and international art education conferences, and works with students on social justice, diversity and environmental advocacy. He has helped many young people make the step into developing their careers in the art field.
Rath has established himself as a prominent artist, educator and advocate in his region.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My art making practice is informed by movement. Early works were simple tracking’s of movement focused on line and shape. As my practice has evolved, the work has centered itself around the idea that the tracking of movement acts as a rhetoric for stories unspoken. Relationship and interactions with and in the natural environment from the past 10 years of Silviculture experience has generated a basis for my work. Moving through the natural landscape and working with different people has led me to focus on the notions of integration and enfolding we experience with our environment. It is these quiet notions that I look to
create language for. I use acrylic paint and printmaking techniques coupled with found objects from years of tree planting. Paint and ink function as the raw basics for tracking movement. Found objects are
utilized as purposeful and nostalgic remainders of movement through particular places.