Exhibition Dates and Location
Anna Polkovnichenko's Solo Balloons and Bubbles of Hope is on display March 22nd - May 8th 2025 on the 4th Floor Civic Gallery in the Township of Langley Civic Facility (20338 65 Ave, Langley, BC V2Y 3J1). The Civic Facility hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.
About the Exhibition
This exhibition is a collection of abstract works dedicated to the topic of mental health and a personal journey through illness. It is a form of sense-making, acknowledging how mental health and stress affect human beings while supporting the hope for healing and a happier future.
Included are monotypes from two series: “Balloons and Bubbles of Hope,” which explores the relationship between hope and despair, and the effects of mental illness on the human experience, oscillating between happiness and darkness. The unique and unrepeatable nature of each monotype speaks to the individuality of human emotions and experiences. These monotypes are composed using shapes that resemble balloons and bubbles, symbolizing hope and the possibility of finding a way out of the darkness of mental health struggles.
The second series, “Calling Names,” reflects on the experience of being called names. For each set of names (for example, “stupid” and “dumbo”), the artist pulled four prints from the same plate, allowing each subsequent print to naturally fade away, later adding layers and collage elements to counteract the degradation of color. The creative process of color fading away and subsequent restoration speaks to the psychological experience of being called names and then working to restore an individual’s confidence and happiness.
About the Artist
Anna Polkovnichenko is an emerging artist, living and working in Surrey, BC, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo, and other Coast Salish peoples. She began her artistic journey later in life as a way of coping with significant life events and mental health conditions. She is a fine arts student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She has taken part in local shows with the Langley Art Council, the Art Council of Surrey, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University student groups. She works primarily in monotype, a printmaking technique that creates a unique print by drawing or painting an image on a non-absorbent surface and transferring it to the paper using a printing press. Anna's art practice focuses on mental health and is inspired by abstract shapes and bright colors.