A new exhibition at The Kube gallery in Gibsons explores the literal face of music through portraiture of some of its most iconic practitioners. B-Sides & Rarities, featuring the work of artist Jeremiah Birnbaum, opened to the public with a reception at The Kube on June 6.
“As I grew up, I fell in love with music,” said Birnbaum. “It was a big influence in my life. And now as a parent, it’s something I have revisited and wanted to do for my kids: give them a wide variety of music knowledge, and not just pop culture.”
Birnbaum worked primarily in black and white for the last 20 years, then slowly introduced colour to his palette. His children (aged 9 and 11) have become a significant influence on his art practice, especially as he uses portraiture to communicate the charisma of influential singers and songwriters.
“There’s the artists — in terms of who we’re looking at — but there’s also an aura that goes beyond them and how they stand in the fandom,” said Birnbaum. He trained at the Victoria College of Art, and has worked as a forensic artist for the police. His series of skulls (depictions of real-life but deceased music stars) aims to show the way that an affinity for music goes more than skin-deep.
Birnbaum previously exhibited at The Kube in 2021 as part of the Vancouver-based collective Phantoms in the Front Yard.
B-Sides & Rarities continues at the gallery until the end of June.
Essential Canadiana
Vancouver-based artist Candice Roberts’s daring and provocative gender-bending show Larry is coming to the Heritage Theatre on June 19. The show is a savoury blend of introspective whimsy and politically charged performance art.
Roberts is an award-winning Canadian clown artist who assumes her alter ego in this comedic satire, embodying an extremely stereotypical (and hirsute) Canadian male bent on a hilarious attempt at self-improvement.
With rock and roll, a little life-coaching, and a dip into his psyche, Larry uncovers more than anyone expected.
Roberts uses Larry to explore her experiences growing up as a female in rural B.C. during the 1980s. The material is culled from the male archetypes that surrounded her during her upbringing, Larry helps her compassionately examine aging as a woman and the complexities of being human through laughter.
The show, which contains nudity, alcohol, and coarse language, is intended for audiences aged at least 18. Browse to heritageplayhouse.com for a full list of caveats — and an opportunity to purchase tickets for this production, which is simultaneously saccharine, salacious and startling.
Provincial Festival artists honoured
Delegates to the Provincial Festival of the Arts in Victoria have returned with special distinctions.
Brielle Taylor received an honorable mention award in the Intermediate Speech and Dramatic Arts discipline at the festival.
“Thanks so much to the Driftwood Theatre School for sponsoring me, Sunshine Coast Festival of the Performing Arts for choosing me as a provincial representative, the Coast Recital Society, and all of my teachers and supporters for helping to make this happen,” said Taylor. “Hopefully I will be there for singing next year!”
Dancer Brooklyn Turner was presented with Honourable Mention for Intermediate Ballet — a special acknowledgement of merit and potential from the adjudicators.
For the first time Waldorf Ballet had a total of six Coastal dancers headed to the Performing Arts BC Provincial Festival (Turner, Saje Morin, Audrey Altenburg, Gracelyn Mailey and alternates Charlotte Altenburg and Adele Dubin).
Whale of a success
The more than 70 painted orcas contributed by Sunshine Coast artists to the Gibsons Public Market’s Tidepools art auction raised more than $7,000 for programming at the aquarium.
The 1,200-square-foot aquarium showcases 30 habitats of local marine life collected from nearby harbours and bays, which return to the seabed after a season in the public eye.
Driftwood seeks characters
The Driftwood Players have corrected missteps in last week’s announcement of upcoming auditions for their fall production: Waiting for The Parade. Director Melinda Oliver is excited to announce auditions that will include a short monologue, a musical number of your choice, and a brief dance combination.
“Don’t worry — we’re not looking for perfection,” said producer Paul Mackeigan. “We’re looking for heart, commitment, and a love for performance.”
The production team will be at the craft room at the Seniors Activity Centre in Sechelt on Saturday, June 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. and the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons on Sunday, June 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. Eager participants should email the producer directly to request additional details: [email protected].
