Vanessa Brown
Biography
Picture by Tom Hsu
Vanessa Brown (she/her) works primarily in sculpture, video, and installation. Her practice involves transmitting her subjective experiences through the materials she engages with, particularly those that offer a hands-on relationship to craft, such as metal and glass. Informed by research, her work reconsiders historical uses of these materials to create new unanticipated affiliations, thereby pushing the boundaries of their traditional uses.
Topically, Brown’s work gravitates towards subjects related to the body, exploring themes through clothing, adornments and the sensorial experience of the body in space. She has become increasingly interested in looking at how grief, ritual, and transcendence are expressed through material culture and architectural form. Her recent work weaves elements together of healing, garmenture, protection, and craft, reflecting upon the ways in which earthly materials can evoke feelings of presence, care, and awe.
Vanessa Brown has exhibited in Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark, the USA and Mexico. Notable solo and two-person exhibitions include the Centre National de l’Audiovisuel, Diddeleng, Luxembourg; The Esker Foundation, Calgary; The Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond; Patel Brown, Toronto; Pangée, Montréal; The Western Front, Vancouver; The Armory Show, New York. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; the Luxembourgish Institute for Artistic Research, New York; and Artpace, San Antonio.
Vanessa Brown has exhibited in Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark, the USA and Mexico. Notable solo and two-person exhibitions include the Centre National de l’Audiovisuel, Diddeleng, Luxembourg; The Esker Foundation, Calgary; The Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond; Patel Brown, Toronto; Pangée, Montréal; The Western Front, Vancouver; The Armory Show, New York. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; the Luxembourgish Institute for Artistic Research, New York; and Artpace, San Antonio.
Her work has been featured in Elle Magazine, Monopol, RTL Artbox, Berlin Art Link, Border Crossings, Sculpture Magazine, Der Tagesspielgel, Canadian Art, and Wall Street International.
She has completed three public art projects in Canada on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, səlilwətaɬ, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm land also known as the City of Vancouver and City of Burnaby.
Exhibitions
