As pioneers of the conceptual art movement throughout the 1960s and '70s, artists Joan Balzar and Michael Morris were once two of the most influential artists on the West Coast. Their works continue to be the subject of intense fascination, hence why one local gallery is celebrating their legacy with a dedicated exhibition.
Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar, running at Griffin Art Projects, dives deep into both the artist’s works and private collections.
Lisa Baldissera, director of Griffin Art Projects and co-creator of the exhibition, said Intersecting Orbits will give the public a greater sense of the profound impact Balzar and Morris had, on both the local art scene and the history of art in Canada as a whole.
She is especially hopeful it will bring some much deserved praise to the works and creative process of Balzar, whose experience of industry sexism often meant her paintings were overlooked in favour of those from her male counterparts. Her lack of recognition was only exacerbated when a large number of her works were lost in a fire that ravaged her West Vancouver studio and home in the '70s.
“Joan Balzar was a foundational, major artist on the West Coast,” said Baldissera.
“Balzar’s tremendous innovation has not been fully appreciated on a national scale, having received limited attention across the country and known primarily from presentations in B.C. institutions.”
Baldissera said the exhibition is “a special opportunity” for art lovers to learn about Balzar’s importance “as they explore the numerous connections that link her to Morris and the larger West Coast art scene.”
Fascinated by science and the atomic age, Balzar’s works were famous for being vibrantly coloured and crafted from industrial materials like neon light, aluminum and Plexiglas. The result was a sensory experience that she likened to spontaneous combustion – hard edge, abstract pieces that shimmered and shone in the light.
Balzar studied at the Broadway Edison School in Seattle and graduated with honours from the Vancouver School of Art, later going on to feature in major exhibitions in Canada, South America, Mexico and Guatemala – her home for many years before she settled in West Vancouver later in life.
As bright and vivid conceptual art began to gain momentum in the late '60s, so did the careers of both Morris, whose works featured geometric abstractions and the use of Plexiglass and mirrors, and Balzar. It was one of numerous times their careers and lives would intertwine – despite the two artists being a decade apart in age, both Morris and Balzar studied at the Vancouver School of Art alongside many of the same painters.
Balzar might not have gained recognition until later in life, and even more so posthumously following her death in 2016, but she’s since joined the ranks of Morris in being regarded as one of the most cutting edge artists in Canada.
The exhibition will house 90 pieces of bold, luminous works from the two artists, alongside pieces collected over their lifetimes. Intersecting Orbits will run at the Griffin Art Projects gallery at 1174 Welch St. in North Vancouver until May 5.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
