The Riding Mountain Artists’ Residency provides professional artists with an opportunity to be inspired and create their works in the park’s setting. In return these professional artists invite visitors to interact with them and uniquely discover the park through their eyes and works.
For many years, Derek’s research has explored the political, ethical and philosophical conditions for contemporary abstraction. He considers painting and drawing as cross-and inter-disciplinary modes of practice and his work is deeply engaged with art history.
During the Riding Mountain Artists’ Residency, Derek will create sculptural objects and photograph them in order to explore landscape and the creative potential of things. The sculptural objects will combine objects found in the landscape with supplies bought in Wasagaming.
“The found objects will include pieces of detritus, natural matter, artefacts, or any other kind of material that resonates with me,” said Derek.
He will consider the social use of space and the history of a few significant sites within Riding Mountain National Park.
“I am interested in photographing the sculptures because I want to consider the way in which the camera sees. How does photography force narratives onto objects through framing and composition?”
At the end of the residency, he will disassemble the sculptures and return all of the found natural materials back to the National Park.
Derek’s work has been featured in exhibitions across Canada and the US, including at the Drawing Center in New York City, and the UCLA New Wight Gallery in Los Angeles. He has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including The Helen Pitt Award, the BC Binning Memorial Fellowship, The Andrew MacIntosh Memorial Book Prize MFA, and the Jan and Adam Waterous Scholarship. In 2017, Dunlop was the recipient of the 3-month Brooklyn Visual Arts Residency at the ISCP courtesy of the Manitoba Arts Council. Derek Dunlop completed his MFA at the University of British Columbia and is based in Winnipeg where he was born and raised. Dunlop is represented by Lisa Kehler Art + Projects in Winnipeg.
Heading out to Riding Mountain?
Connect with Derek on Thursday, August 17th at 7:30 p.m at the Visitor Centre
