VICTORIA, BC.- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria will present Destinations, Navigations, Illuminations, from April 8 to July 10. Jewel-box, backlit prints featured in retrospective of Victoria’s much loved “PMB” Master printmaker Pat Martin Bates utilizes light as her medium, just as other artists use line and colour. Her unique prints are embossed and perforated with thousands of tiny pinpricks, and presented in illuminated light boxes to create magical jewelbox-like impressions. Destinations, Navigations, Illuminations is the first major investigation into the unique and inventive printmaking of one of Victoria’s most adored and most colourful artists. Known across the world for her remarkable and inventive printmaking techniques and bestowed with the title "Lady Print" in the UK, Bates has been pushing the boundaries of printmaking for over 40 years.
Pat Martin Bates' innovations in printing methods and presentation modes have set her work apart. She is known for combining prints and objects. This retrospective, curated by Annette Hurtig, presents many of Bates’ beautiful, star-studded, signature backlit lightboxes as well as embossed and perforated prints spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s. The Art Gallery’s preparatory staff has worked with the artist to create new lightbox structures to restore 11 of the 24 works in the exhibition.
"PMB", as she is known to her friends, first achieved international recognition for her innovative printmaking accomplishments as a member of an award-winning contingent of young Canadian artists at a 1963 Chilean Biennial Exhibition. In 1964, Bates joined the faculty at the University of Victoria and would inspire generations of new artists. She was a member of the Victoria artists' group the Limners with others such as Maxwell Bates, Herbert Siebner, Robin Skelton, Nikola Pavelic, Karl Spreitz, Robert de Castro and Myfawny Pavelic. In 1991 she received the UVic Alumni Association annual award for teaching excellence and in 1994 she received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from UVic in recognition of her extraordinary achievements, contributions, pedagogy and service as a faculty member. She continues to work in the community as President of the Victoria College of Art. Her work has been collected by important public institutions and recognized by national and international prizes. A full colour catalogue featuring works in the exhibition is being published for the exhibition with writings by Annette Hurtig, Ann Saddlemeyer and P.K. Page. It will be available for sale in The Gallery Shop. This exhibition is presented by Illuminations Lighting Solutions.
