Drift: from the forest to the sea

Exhibition Contributors:

Curator:
Derek Tan

Designer:
Evan Craig

Scientific Advisors:
Bruce Archibald, Nicholas Bailly, Sheila Byers, Karen Golinski, Linda Jennings, Karen Needham, Christopher Stinson, Ildiko Szabo

Education Advisor:
Jerlyn Brutas

Fabricator:
Lesha Koop


Bettina Harvey’s exhibition Drift: from the forest to the sea investigates the ecology and physical journey of driftwood. Harvey’s intricate drawings also suggest metaphors of human experience and relationships, finding parallels between the profound passages of our personal lives and the cycles of ecological life. Different series shift their approach to these parallels, focusing on unique elements of driftwood. At times, Harvey evokes human anatomy and the resilience that lies at the heart of the aging process. At other times, her pieces emphasize transformation, tracing the imprint of the past upon an individual’s metamorphosis over a lifetime. All her work employs an inquisitive, philosophical approach to questions about time, personality, love, and the natural world.

 Bettina Harvey’s art is deeply informed by her relationship with the natural world. From her earliest years, Harvey has devoted herself to the outdoors, exploring, studying, and playing in nature. After working on a BFA at Montreal’s Concordia University, she spent years working as a horticulturist and as a gardener for the City of Vancouver, where she applied her visual art skills designing floral displays for major parks. Eventually, she merged her interests, returning to fine arts as a means of investigating ecological systems and their connections to the human world.