fire's burning - Introduction

Catastrophic forest fires and wildfires are becoming increasingly common. Smoke from Alberta fires routinely blots out the sun for much of the province and at times across the entire continent. Alberta communities are routinely evacuated from their homes and, tragically, some never return. The human relationship to fire has formed over hundreds of thousands of years and is continually evolving. This exhibition draws from the Art Gallery of Alberta’s permanent collection and shows how the human relationship to fire is nuanced and multifaceted. Fire creates, welcomes, beckons, warms and nourishes. It also destroys, harms, burns and decimates. It has the power to transform, transmute, alter states of matter and communicate. From the mundane to the profound to the catastrophic, fire has changed us, and we have changed fire. This exhibition is produced by the Art Gallery of Alberta and curated by Lindsey Sharman.