PLACE – A Nomadic Gallery in British Columbia

PLACE is a travelling exhibition of work by a group of Francophone visual artists based in British Columbia. The artists were invited to consider the idea of place, and related themes such as displacement, belonging, and making space. PLACE addresses issues of identity and one’s relationship to territory. The theme also highlights certain aspects of the reality and challenges of being a Francophone artist in a minority language environment. The idea of a Nomadic Gallery grew out of the need to create professional exhibition opportunities for Francophone visual artists in British Columbia. The province does not have a professional infrastructure dedicated to Francophone visual arts in terms of training, production, and dissemination. As such, the Nomadic Gallery uses existing structures, working primarily in English-speaking communities, until a French-speaking professional gallery can be built.