https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com

Familiars

LUKAS ROY

FAMILIARS Exhibition | JANUARY 27 – MARCH 23 — Gather⋮Place + Window Media Gallery

WITHOUT PROMPTING Creative Residency | JANUARY 15 – MARCH 23

Lukas Roy will be onsite at CVAG during his creative residency. Visitors are welcome to drop-in, create, talk, question, and share. Learn more

On-Site Hours | WEDNESDAYS – FRIDAYS | 10AM – 12:30PM and 1:30 – 5PM

  • February 7 – February 9
  • February 14 – February 16
  • February 21 – February 23
  • February 28 – March 1
  • March 6 – March 8

Lukas will also be conducting a five-week facilitated make art series, during which participants will create small booklets (zines), build brushes, and draw with ink. Lukas will guide the participants in developing concepts and skills to create a small zine edition. Learn more

Make Art Series | SATURDAYS | 1:30 – 3:30PM — for registered participants

  • February 10
  • February 17
  • February 24
  • March 2
  • March 9

ARTIST STATEMENT

The title Familiars evokes family, intimacy, and demons. Family & Art has been drawn from past artwork and trauma. It stands as an invitation to reflect on relationships. It also serves to show the connecting lines between feelings and the art inspired by them. Familiars has its origins inextricably linked to Family & Art (2021) which was created and distributed as a 31-page zine (mini-publication). This zine was used to demonstrate art as a cathartic process. It was intended to be spread and shared. This zine would eventually become the multimedia video work (1) Family & Art (2023) shown in this exhibition. The multimedia format is a direct extension of the desire to share both intimately and en masse. Artworks (2), (3), (4), and (5) are as much the subjects of both the zine and video, as family and the artist. In many ways the artist statement of Familiars lies within the viewing of (1) Family & Art (2023). In its original format, Family & Art (2021) prompted readers to share their own experiences of pain. In sharing, the process of turning thoughts into artwork becomes clearly seen. This exchange between art and artist became an essential element of the piece. This is continued in (6) by the facilitation of Without Prompting, an artist residency and opportunity for dialogue between audience and artist where viewers are welcome to create, talk, question, and share without any requirement in return. Often, viewers are uncomfortable with the abstraction of ideas. How can the act of sexual assault become a pile of pomegranates? This journey of meaning-making can be daunting and the process feel contrived. Familiars attempts to break down the barriers between image making and meaning and asks you to question the symbols of your own experiences. As a witch with their familiar, how do we too take our demons and make them work for us?


BIOGRAPHY | Lukas Roy

Lukas Roy is an art maker living in the Comox Valley on the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks and Pentlach First Nations. He was born and raised in Victoria, BC, on the unceded traditional territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt Peoples. He attended North Island College and graduated his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Fine Arts + Design in 2017. His father became sick with cancer soon afterwards, which caused him to move away from art-making as a professional practice. Since then, he has pursued a career in the Canadian Army Reserves and has recently entered into public teaching. He continues to do both. Art-making has forever been a part of his life, and Familiars is a return to professional artistic practice. This exhibition is dedicated to his family, whom he loves dearly.

Acknowledgements

The Comox Valley Art Gallery is grateful to operate on the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nations.

CVAG is honored to collaborate with artists, writers, guest curators, community partners + volunteers. We are grateful for the support of our members + donors.

This convergent program is made possible through the support of our FUNDERS: City of Courtenay, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Government of Canada, Province of BC,  Comox Valley Regional District, Town of Comox | LOCAL SUPPORT: School District 71 Printshop, Sherwin Williams, Hitec Screen Printing, Shine-Eze Ltd., BoomBright Media