The second season at Altona's Gallery in the Park is now in full swing, featuring Winnipeg-based painter Hollande Bezan's compelling exhibition "Return to the Farm" on the main floor of the Schwartz House. The collection of paintings pays tribute to her family's deep agricultural roots, which stretch back over a century to farmland just north of Inglis, Manitoba.
Bezan's artwork explores more than 100 years of connection to the land, honoring the enduring farming legacy of the Bezan family across five generations. The story begins with her great-grandfather's journey from Ukraine in 1908, seeking a better life in Canada. "So my great-grandfather came from Ukraine in 1908, and he wanted a better life, so he came here and worked for several years in the Assessippi/Inglis area for more established farmers," Bezan explained during the exhibition opening.
After working and saving money for several years, her great-grandfather purchased a farm just north of Inglis, Manitoba, for $1,200 in 1912. He later married Bezan's great-grandmother, who had also immigrated from Romania, with their villages likely being close to each other in their homeland. Together, they raised eight children on the farm, with Bezan's grandfather being the youngest of the siblings.
The farming tradition continued with Bezan's grandparents, who raised six children while cultivating various crops. Her grandfather specialized in purebred Red Hereford cattle, which became a constant presence on the family farm. Although Bezan spent most of her childhood growing up in Winnipeg, she maintained strong connections to the farm through regular visits, spending every summer at her grandparents' homestead.
Through conversations with her city peers, Bezan came to realize how unique and special her farm connection truly was. "It became evident to me, when I talked to my Winnipeg peers, not all of them came from farms or had a connection to the farm," she reflected. "So I realized this is actually really special, getting to see my great-grandparent's farm, like their homestead. No one's living there. It's sort of dilapidated, but full of all these memories and stories."
The exhibition captures a sense of nostalgia for farm life and rural living that resonates with many Southern Manitobans, particularly those who, like Bezan, now call cities their home. As someone who grew up during what she considers the last generation of children without phones, Bezan was able to fully immerse herself in the farm experience. "I think for everybody it's healthy to be out in nature and to work with your hands, so I feel even though I'm still in the city I have this garden," she said.
One painting in particular holds special significance for Bezan and her family. Titled "Seeds of Succession," the piece depicts her great-grandmother's kitchen window, complete with jars of seeds that her great-grandmother had collected and left there. "There's also a painting I did of my great-grandparent's kitchen window, and what's kind of fun about it is there's these jars of seeds that my great-grandma left there, she collected them, and had a big garden," Bezan explained. The painting carries deeper meaning, as her great-grandmother spent much of her later years praying for her family and future generations.
Bezan hopes that visitors to the gallery will connect with the themes and memories presented in her work, whether they have their own farm connections or not. "If they have a connection to their own family farm, definitely I think there's a lot of pieces they're going to see that hopefully spark a memory for them," she said. For those without direct farm connections, Bezan believes her smaller paintings of flowers and intimate moments in nature can still provide that special feeling of being present in natural spaces.
The farm legacy continues today, with Bezan's cousin and uncle still actively farming the family land, ensuring that future generations can experience the connection to the land that has shaped the Bezan family for over a century. The Gallery in the Park's second season also features works by artists Kae Sasaki and Wanda Slawik, providing visitors with a diverse range of artistic perspectives and experiences.
