Situated in a far corner of UFV’s Building A, you can find the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery. It is free to explore for both students and community members, playing host to about half a dozen exhibitions every year. The first exhibition of Fall 2024, The Art of Play, opened Sept. 11 and closed Oct. 3.
For those who missed it, or are curious to learn more about the exhibition, you’re in luck. I had the honour of meeting with Venezuelan-born artist Zaira Ramirez Luis, and the gallery’s curator Liz Wurzinger, to discuss the showing.
Art of Play is an interactive, self-directed experience, with the viewer as much a part of it as the art and the artist. The dimly lit room was awash with beautiful coloured lighting which played over the installations, creating intricate shadows throughout the space. When speaking with Ramirez Luis about her intention with the project, she explained that her goal in the gallery was to create a space “that invites the viewer to immerse themself into the artistic elements.” Each piece in the exhibit included a note from the artist, welcoming people to interact and play with each element, from various mirrors to curtains of vibrantly coloured ribbons to walk through, asking you to “find yourself.” Participants were even encouraged to draw on the walls!
“The Art of Play exhibition is a celebration of my anniversary as a community artist in the City of Abbotsford,” Ramirez Luis explained. She began working as a community artist in 2021; one of the most influential projects to her being the Go Play Outside program. The program was created in 2020 by UFV School of Creative Arts (SoCA) graduate Tara-Lynn Kozma-Perrin, with the goal of cultivating a more connected and engaged community within Abbotsford. The program hosts free, family-friendly creative and recreation activities year-round, encouraging people to get outside, play, and socialize.
“Working as a cultural leader in the Go Play Outside program expanded my vision of Abbotsford,” Ramirez Luis said. And it was much of this experience, engaging with the community and the diversity of Abbotsford, which inspired her to bring The Art of Play into being.
“The vision came as Zaira created,” said Liz Wurzinger, the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery’s coordinator. “That was really amazing and inspiring to witness.” The title of the exhibition came out of a collaborative effort between artist and coordinator as the concept of the exhibition evolved. “It’s about playing. But also, it’s about art.” Ramirez Luis explained, with Wurzinger adding that, “It’s an interesting thing to kind of challenge artists, as they play in a very academic place. Things like art are just very over-discussed, and so I really admire Zaira’s courage to kind of just be like, no, let’s play.”
Finding space to support their practice, play, and show work can be difficult for artists, something Ramirez Luis expressed her frustrations with. “I have the SoCA which is great. I love the SoCA because it gave me this opportunity and I feel so grateful,” she said, but also expressed that it is still challenging for artists to find work and proper studio spaces to practice in. “I don’t go to Vancouver to show my pieces. I don’t. So in Abbotsford it is a little bit difficult to find a space to show.”
And while there are some spaces in Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley, according to Ramirez Luis, it still doesn’t feel like enough. “You know that space that creates the opportunity for creation, for sharing, for collaboration, for teaching — we need that,” she said. When asked what communities can do to better provide that support to artists, Ramirez Luis said that, for her, it is an issue of space and opportunity. She hopes to see more communities focus on art and cultural experience in the future.
If you missed the exhibition, don’t worry. The gallery opens with a new exhibition, Portals into Nature on Oct. 16. And if you’re interested in following Zaira Ramirez Luis and her work, you can find her on her website, or follow her on Instagram @zairawet.
Elyssa is a BSc student, pursuing studies in Physical Geography while also entertaining her creative side within the visual arts. She is currently the Creative Director here with the Cascade. Having previously been an Illustrator, Production Assistant, and Production Manager, she's been around a while. In her free time she can often be found knitting and watching reruns of outdated shows from the 80s.
