Photo: Reid Shier.
The National Gallery of Canada announced today that Reid Shier of Vancouver will be the curator for the Canada Pavilion during next Venice Biennale.
The Canada Pavilion is slated to exhibit new work by internationally renowned Vancouver artist Stan Douglas—and that will still be the case, although the biennale has been postponed to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is an honour to be chosen as curator for Stan Douglas’ exhibition for the Canada Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale,” said Reid Shier in a release. “Douglas has been a colleague and friend for over three decades, during which I’ve had the privilege of watching his international reputation as one of Canada’s most significant contemporary artists grow and flourish. I’m particularly excited to help realize Douglas’ presentation for Venice, and to assist in the ambition of an artist at such a key moment in their career.”
“It’s traditional for the artist to select the curator and Reid Shier is the ideal choice to fully realize Stan’s artistic vision,” said Kitty Scott, deputy director and chief curator at the National Gallery of Canada. “Given their long history of working together, they will surely bring forth an exceptional art experience.”
Reid Shier initially worked with Stan Douglas in 1996—including him in the first group exhibition he curated. In 2002, Shier organized Douglas’ solo exhibition “Journey into Fear,” featuring the eponymous video installation together with a suite of photographs, including the 16-foot image Every Building on 100 West Hastings. This photograph was the first in a growing body of work Douglas made using filmic staging, editing and post-production techniques to create mises-en-scène and historical re-enactments.
Reid Shier is director of the Polygon Gallery, formally Presentation House Gallery, in North Vancouver.
