-CCAG set to unveil career retrospective ‘Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe’ on January 25-

Opening January 25 at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery (CCAG) is a retrospective exhibition focusing on the ceramic and bronze works of Regina-based artist, Victor Cicansky. Curated by Timothy Long and Julia Krueger, and organized by the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Calgary), The Gardener’s Universe brings together over 100 works that present a richly layered picture of Cicansky’s career, one that has been firmly rooted in his garden.

Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe promises to engage visitors of all ages and will display in the Upper West Gallery at the CCAG until April 26, 2020. As part of a series of Art Talks, Evan Furness, visual arts educator, will introduce the Cicansky exhibition on February 20 from noon to 12:30 p.m. These talks are offered free-of-charge at the Gallery and all are welcome.

For over 50 years, ideas for sculptures in ceramics and bronze have grown out of Cicansky’s intimate relationship with the plants and trees of his backyard. His approach embraces both the immigrant knowledge of his Romanian-Canadian family and more contemporary concerns around urban ecology and environmental sustainability. Grounded in local realities, his work speaks to the wider world of the joys and trials of supporting life in an urban prairie space.

Drawn from 39 public and private collections in Canada and the U.S., the selections embody the energy of Cicansky’s varied production. Challenging craft expectations of pottery and furniture, Cicansky engages the language of making to celebrate “hand smarts,” as his blacksmith father called them. From the subversive experimentation of his student days in California, to the recognition of his prairie immigrant roots, to his celebration of shovel-to-plate gardening — Cicansky has unearthed a politics of place using humour, play, and provocation.

The work of Victor Cicansky asserts that history and locality are vital sources for healthy creative expression, just as gardens are essential for the health of our bodies and the planet. This exhibition celebrates a “garden universe” — as Regina writer Trevor Herriot calls it — and marks Cicansky’s lasting contributions to Canadian art and craft history.

The CCAG is open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from, 1 – 5 p.m.