In partnership with Calgary Arts Development, the TGCA is pleased to announce a new and improved mini art gallery has been installed along the path to the inclusive playground across from the native gardens.
The Northeast Mini Galleries include a series of 10 mini galleries located at community associations across Calgary’s northeast. The mini galleries feature 30 artists throughout the year — each exhibition showcases 10 local artists, selected by a local curator, for a four-month period.
The current exhibition, The Responsibility to Wonder, is curated by Genevieve Farrell and features 12 artworks by 10 artists. Through sculpture, painting, illustration, beadwork and mosaic, the exhibition explores curiosity, connection and the relationships that shape our communities. The artworks are on display from June to September 2026.
Artists statement for current exhibition at TGCA’s mini gallery
Artists: Mao and Chris
Revive 1, 2024 Ceramics, grout and wood panel, 12 x 12 x 1 inches (30 x 30 x 3 centimetres)
Untitled 3, 2024 Ceramics, grout and wood panel, 12 x 12 x 1 inches (30 x 30 x 3 centimetres)
In our collaborative practice, we explore how cultures intersect and diverge through visual storytelling. Drawing from the deep wells of art and craft histories as well as our own cultural backgrounds, our work examines the intricacies of cross-cultural communication. We engage with classical ceramic forms, ornamental elements and popular culture, blending these references with a painterly application of glaze to create a visually layered narrative that is both personal and shared. Our practice delves into ceramics as a narrative medium, one that allows for both cohesion and dissonance between different cultural references. Each piece invites viewers to encounter moments of harmony as well as tension, as we juxtapose fragments drawn from abstract painting, cartoons, traditional still-life painting and historical ceramics. These elements come together in compositions that do not tell a single, linear story but instead evoke themes of time, materiality and human nature. Our approach allows us to re-contextualize the fragments we borrow from the past, layering meanings while respecting the variety inherent in our cultural references. By merging our individual perspectives and shared experiences, we aim to create ceramics that serve as vessels of both tradition and innovation. Our work is not about achieving a single message but rather about engaging with the ongoing dialogue between cultures and artistic forms. Through this process, we seek to honour the past while creating space for new interpretations, contributing to a diverse vision that speaks to the complexities of identity and cultural exchange.
maoandchrisstudio@gmail.com www.maoandchris.com IG: @mao_and_chris
Find a comprehensive explanation of this public art program, the curatorial text by curator Genevieve Farrell, and view the other galleries on the Calgary Arts Development site here: https://calgaryartsdevelopment.com/public-art/projects/the-responsibility-to-wonder/