Where January February 2018 WhereJan-Feb18_Digital | Page 11

By tEEna LEgris
KAL BARTESKI is a Winnipeg-based
multimedia artist, activist, and author known for her signature
illustrated typescript and wildlife paintings. her artistic
journey has seamlessly evolved from a love of painting
animals into projects with a purpose.
the aspiring artist sold her first painting (a portrait of a
dalmatian) in saskatchewan at the age of 8, validating her
pursuit of doing what she loved. kal’s move to Winnipeg in
her twenties proved to be the ultimate brush with destiny,
as a fascination with a polar bear at the zoo inspired an
impressive portfolio of 150 polar bear paintings that became
an international sensation.
regular visits to churchill, manitoba prompted study of
polar bears and their habitat, leading to the Polar Bear fund
initiative in 2016 supporting non-invasive polar bear research.
in June 2017, kal participated in churchill’s mural festival
and inspired a “Back alley arctic” campaign in Winnipeg’s
Wolseley neighbourhood (pictured). the walkable art gallery
included several garage murals featuring her beloved bears
and other illustrated wildlife.
kal’s wild obsession garnered attention from Brent christensen,
creator/founder of ice castles, spurring a cool collaboration.
kal’s paintings can be viewed inside the shimmering icy tunnels
and glowing palatial archways of ice castles throughout the
winter months at Parks canada Place at the forks.
of her famed polar bears, kal acknowledges that “it’s not
the hipster cool theme, but i’m grateful for who i am and
how this intuitive journey has gifted me some beautiful
opportunities.”
followers can view her work website kalbarteski.com and
on instagram @kalbarteski.
Until Jan 20 — Urban Shaman Gallery’s
InDigiNous Aotearoa: Virtual Histories, Augmented
Futures exhibit examines a hypothetical
reimagining of history through new digital media
methods with artwork critiquing history and
perceptions of indigenous peoples in aotearoa,
new Zealand.
Until Jan 20 — the MHC Gallery features
parallel exhibitions of two canadian artists.
carolyn mount studies historical connection
and meditative meaning behind her reclaimed
embroidered cloth in Work as Prayer/Prayer as
Work. tracy fehr explores themes of identity,
spirituality, gender and transformation in Sacred
DNA - Family and Ico