The Werklund Centre's Window Gallery has unveiled new artwork from local and emerging artists, featuring seven distinct spaces that celebrate cultural backgrounds and personal identity. The current exhibition brings together artists who have gravitated toward themes of identity, self-expression, and cultural preservation, offering visitors a unique glimpse into Calgary's diverse artistic community.
"We've all kind of gravitated towards the theme of identity, self and cultural preservation and what that means," said Carrie Yap, one of the featured artists. "I think it's a narrative on Calgary, on how we've expanded and grown in terms of our cultural competency and it's amazing to kind of see it at the art level as well."
Yap has created a striking exhibit featuring millinery, which she describes as the traditional concept of making hats for women. Her work represents a blend of historical techniques with contemporary artistic vision. "It's a changing practice," she explained. "It begins with a paper practice, which is the most traditional way of doing it so just paper and glue and wire and then I've integrated my practice which is milliner couture so what that means is everything is stitched by hand."
The artist's elaborate creations draw inspiration from Chinese opera, replicating the fabrication process, colors and symbolism of what performers would have once worn on stage. Each of Yap's intricate hats can take up to six months to complete, demonstrating the meticulous craftsmanship involved in this traditional art form.
"Chinese opera has always been in my culture and in my community, something I've grown up with," Yap said. "As I began to explore millinery and where was something that I saw myself in, within this whole kind of world, I gravitate to something that had a cultural connection for me and that was just Chinese opera so on one side you see the Legend of the White Snake and on the other side you see the story of the Moon Festival."
Alongside Yap's work, artist Matias Martinez brings his own cultural heritage to the exhibition. Martinez, who is half Mayan and Mapuche with his father from El Salvador and his mother from Chile, typically works with various materials across multiple genres. For this Window Gallery exhibit, however, he has focused specifically on glasswork.
"Glass is maybe the best medium in the world I think," Martinez said enthusiastically. "It used to be considered magic and glass is way older than you think. Most people think glass (origins are) Italian but glass actually (dates earlier to the time of the) Egyptian and Sumerian."
Martinez has created two distinct window displays painted in blue and orange, each telling different aspects of his artistic journey. "The blue window is more of the work that I'm doing contemporary wise, sculptural heads that are the feathered serpent god from my culture and historic references," he explained. "The orange/red sunset window is more of the show of my skill building, it's like being a show off I guess, I'm making goblets, I'm making fine work, I'm making more sculptural work and using techniques that aren't really seen too often."
The artist expressed excitement about displaying his work in such a prominent public space. "It's just an opportunity to show very publicly, which I have done in the past before but this feels kind of special because I haven't been in such a big building," Martinez said.
The Window Gallery is strategically located in the hall adjacent to the Max Bell Theatre lobby on the main level of Werklund Centre, making it easily accessible to visitors. The unique gallery space operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing art enthusiasts to view the exhibitions at any time. The gallery runs exhibitions on three-month-long intervals, ensuring a regular rotation of fresh artistic perspectives and cultural narratives for the Calgary community to discover and appreciate.
