Reimagining Fire, The Future of Energy

Gallery Exhibition: September 7 – October 27, 2024

For Reimagining Fire, Energy Future Lab (EFL) Fellow Eveline Kolijn, invited submissions from 40 Alberta printmakers, writers, and poets to reflect on the necessity of our society to combat climate change and preserve biodiversity.

Many of the artists and writers explored foundational issues, including the priority of having access to clean air, the soil of the earth, and water. While many decry the damaging pollution resulting from oil extraction, they acknowledge they are also part of its culture. Alberta embodies a microcosm of issues that are encountered worldwide in the energy transition debate. Alberta, with most of its wealth derived from oil and gas, is steeped in today’s still dominant petro-culture. This relationship with fossil fuels creates resistance to change. The challenges and opportunities around energy transition are encountered all over the globe, which makes the Alberta Story a Global Story.

Connecting this diverse group, ranging from emerging to veteran artists and authors, through a series of networking sessions with Fellows from the EFL, Koljin paired artists and writers to participate in informational group sessions with the Fellows-expert to learn about energy transition and be inspired. The resulting text and images have been published as an original fine-art print portfolio in tandem with a book publication, both of which were launched in May 2023.

This exhibition features selected works from the project including art and writing by Jill Ho-You, Jared Tailfeathers, Kasia Koralewska, Sylvia Arthur, Eveline Kolijn, Mary Kavanagh, Heather Urness, Larry Kapustka, Kathryn Gwun-Yeen 君妍 Lennon, Liz Ingram, Tara Manyfingers, Mar’ce Merrell, and Maggie Hanna.

Eveline Kolijn is a printmaker and installation artist living and working in Calgary. Koljin received an MA in cultural anthropology from Leiden University in the Netherlands in 1986 and a BFA from the Alberta College of Art+ Design in 2008. She has participated in national and international exhibitions, residencies, public art projects, and community engagement. In 2019, she received the AUArts Alumni Legacy Award. She joined Alberta’s Energy Futures Lab as a Fellow in 2018 and has moved on to be an Ambassador for the Lab. She recently published the Energy Futures portfolio (2023) and edited an accompanying book, Reimagining Fire: The Future of Energy. The project is a collaboration between 60 printmakers, writers and energy experts.

The project has received funding from Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Calgary Arts Development and Energy Futures Lab.