16 May – 15 Aug 2023
theDock: Centre for Social Impact (300-722 Cormorant St, Victoria)
M-F 8:30am-5:00pm
About the Artist:
Wendy Thompson always wanted to be an artist. She entered the program at Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver in the mid 1970s and worked with drawing, painting, and sculpture. During this time, she particularly enjoyed making works in bronze and stainless steel.
Wendy transitioned to photography a few years back after suffering a stroke that left her with physical disabilities. She lives in a group home in Saanich but makes it downtown often to see friends, and to volunteer at the Victoria Arts Council where she greets visitors and chats with them about the artworks on display in the gallery.
About the Work:
This series of candid photographs depict Wendy’s friends and acquaintances who she describes as “the movers and the shakers of Victoria”. She captions each portrait with an anecdote about the individual pictured, offering glimpses into their vibrant personalities and varied interests. It’s very important to Wendy that her friends do not experience any kind of abuse. She says, “I want to show how people are still living and surviving after all the hardship and suffering we’ve endured over the past few years.”
Wendy plans to give each friend their framed portrait once this showcase ends.
