Curated and organized by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils and toured through OSAC’s Arts on the Move program, an exhibition in the Windows Salon of the Chapel Gallery is a surprise.
Titled Giant Bingo, a collection of art pieces delves into the complex world of Internet dating.Â
Artist Belinda Harrow says, "I have chosen to use the two metaphors of beavers and bingo to explore the theme of love."
Why beavers?
"Beavers are an admirable species; they mate for life, are monogamous and build wonderful homes for their families. They are familiar to viewers both as our national animal and for cheeky sexual innuendos. Bingo is a game of chance, luck and patience and a popular pastime in urban and rural parts of Saskatchewan."
Harrow explains, "Combining printmaking, drawing, sculpture and painting, this exhibition explores the role chance and luck when searching for love. The world of Internet dating is a challenging one. It takes patience, effort and a lot of courage to wade through hundreds, even thousands of pictures, headlines and profiles. Emails, chats and first dates all lead to the possibility of a potential connection. Giant Bingo is about keeping fingers crossed as you play the ultimate game, while maintaining faith that you may eventually beat the odds and win big!"
Belinda Harrow was born in 1971 in Christchurch, New Zealand, but came to Saskatchewan with her family at the age of three. She lives and works in Regina.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Saskatchewan and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, which she completed in 1996. Harrow went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts from Canterbury University in Christchurch, New ZealandÂ
She has taught at the Design and Art College of New Zealand and has served as guest lecturer at Tshinghua University School of Art and Design in Beijing, China and at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India,.
Harrow has worked in a variety of mediums, including painting, installations, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and fabric. Her work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in Canada, New Zealand, the UK, China, and Thailand.Â
