Posthumous retrospective of groundbreaking B.C. disability artist’s work opens at Vancouver queer art gallery

Georgia Straight | October 28, 2020

A retrospective of the work of a pioneering B.C. artist will be on display at a Vancouver art gallery for the next month.

The memorial exhibit Time-Lapse: Posthumous Conversations—A Geoff McMurchy Retrospective will provide a look at the artwork of Geoff McMurchy at Sum Gallery (425–268 Keefer Street), starting on October 29 and continuing until December 1.

McMurchy was a pioneer in disability arts communities—he was the founding director of Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture and he also worked with the B.C. Coalition of People With Disabilities in pursuit of accessibility and equality.

He was a visual artist and dancer who became quadriplegic after a swimming accident. Sadly, he died at the age of 65 in July 2015 in Victoria due to complications related to his quadriplegia.

The exhibit is curated by Yuri Arajs, SD Holman, and Persimmon Blackbridge, in partnership with Kickstart Disability Arts and All Souls at Mountainview Cementary.

An opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on October 29.

An online curator brunch talk will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on November 7, and curator tours will be held on November 12 (4 to 8 p.m.) and 21 (1 to 5 p.m.).

The closing reception will be held on A Day Without Art—an annual event observed by art galleries and organizations to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS—from noon to 6 p.m. on December 1.

Appointments to attend the gallery between noon to 6 p.m. from Tuesdays to Saturdays can be made through online booking.

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