THE VOLCANO COLLECTIVE (Vancouver, BC)
As professional artists accustomed to producing installations, community projects
and public art, and as former teaching colleagues, we are excited at the possibility
of dialogue and skill-sharing in our joint creative process. For this reason we formed
Volcano Collective, which we envision as spontaneous, powerful and—like lava—
flowing to many unpredictable places, allowing for expansive ideas, processes and
media.
Karen Kazmer
Karen Kazmer’s installations and public artworks are ongoing investigations of
architectural space, human and animal interaction, originating from an interest in
the body as messenger. She has worked with light, mixed media and technology in
producing exhibitions for galleries in Canada and the U.S.
Kazmer’s community based public art projects seek imagery from public workshops,
collaborations and on-site activities of people and animals. Recent gallery
installations involve the use of sensor-driven pneumatic elements.
Deborah Koenker
As an immigrant to Canada, Koenker is interested in borders, globalization,
migration/immigration, the difficulties of cultural integration, building community
and social justice. She has produced three installations on “disappeared” and
murdered girls and women, one of which involved collaboration with 80-some
residents in the village of Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico.
Personal narratives are increasingly important to her practice. Her 2016 Kelowna
Art Gallery exhibition Grapes and Tortillas, for example, includes texts written by
temporary agricultural workers from Mexico who come to work on farms, and in
vineyards and greenhouses in the Okanagan Valley, BC and across Canada.
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