2023 Top picks from collector Andrew Booth

by Andrew Booth

Andrew Booth is an art collector and curator for the Vancouver Art Blog, an Instagram account devoted to promoting and showcasing Vancouver’s contemporary art scene. We invited him to give his Vancouver perspective on Plural 2023. Discover below some of his favorites.

With so much to see at the 2023 Plural Contemporary Art Fair, I’ve decided to highlight 10 works that stood out to me, which also showcase the range and diversity of works on display at the fair:

1. Shannon Bool - Swiss Cell at Daniel Faria

I’ve always been fascinated by Shannon Bool’s practice, one that takes on many forms, including tapestry, silk paintings, collage, sculpture and photogram. Swiss Cell combines many of these mediums into one magnificent work, painted on a plexiglas mirror.

2. Hiromi Nakatsugawa - Scaffolding at Franz Kaka

Franz Kaka is one of the many examples of gallerists at the fair that regularly showcases the next class of emerging artists. Hiromi Nakatsugawa’s works on paper have an incredible amount of depth and detailing, all of which was done with coloured pencils. Also, for a ‘unique’ work, this is great value, especially for someone looking to start their collection.

3. Anahita Akhavan - Charbagh at Duran Mashaal

4. Adam Basanta - Fontaine at Ellephant

5. Michelle Bui - Naked Excess no. 9 at McBride Contemporary

Michelle Bui’s Naked Excess series can only be truly appreciated in person, both in terms of its scale and detailing. Michelle’s large-scale photographs reflect the process of accumulation, presentation, and eventual decay that mark our relationships with seemingly mundane items.

6. Camille Turner - Hometown Queen at Central Art Garage

I only recently became aware of Camille Turner’s practice, in particular her Wanted series, which takes newspaper ads placed by Canadian slave owners in the 18th century describing the appearance of their runaway slaves, and recreates them as fashion ads.

With Hometown Queen, Camille looks to re-write her personal history and to pay homage to her complicated relationship with her hometown of Hamilton, Ontario.

7. Manuel Mathieu - Étude sur un visage at Hugues Charbonneau

8. Gelsy Verna - Green Fatigue at Wil Aballe Art Projects

9. Chun Hua Catherine Dong - Reconnection No. 2 at Patrick Mikhail

These striking photographs by Chun Hua Catherine Dong come from her Reconnection series, which explores the ideas of connecting two places through performative gestures and immersive technology. Dong’s practice is rooted in performance, often using her own body as the primary material for her work. The two places that she is exploring simultaneously are her physical location (Charlevoix, Quebec), and a virtual reality simulation of the Great Wall of China.

10. EVOL (Tore Rinkveld) - Summer TV Classic at Yves Laroche

Berlin-based Tore Rinkveld, aka Evol, transforms everyday features of our cityscape into intricate works of art. Sitting somewhere between a sculpture and a painting, Rinkveld's work seeks to draw attention to the overlooked corners of the city and the people who inhabit them, and to explore the relationships between people and their built environments.