Ian Wallace (born 1943) is a British-born Canadian artist, living and working in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Wallace has been an influential figure in the development of an internationally acknowledged photographic and conceptual art practice in Vancouver since 1965.

Artistic practice

Wallace has exhibited painting and photography nationally and internationally since 1965. He is known for juxtaposing monochrome painting and photography in a way that problematizes the differences between the two mediums, referencing aesthetic and social issues through themes of the studio, the museum and the street.

Education and teaching

Wallace taught Art History at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

from 1967 to 1970, and then at the Vancouver School of Art (now

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co ...

) from 1972 to 1998, where he taught a contemporary art course titled Art Now that was one of the earliest to introduce the art of the recent past into the art history curriculum. As a professor, he has had a significant role in shaping the contemporary art scene and advised artist, such as

Kelly Wood Kelly Schafer ( Wood, born 8 April 1981 in Dundee) is a Scottish-Canadian curler who has represented her Scotland and Great Britain on an International and Olympic level. After playing in the 2010 World Championships in Swift Current, Sask ...

. Through his emphasis on the importance of a knowledge of art history, his support for visiting artist programs, and his progressive courses that examined the common history of various media including film, photography, and painting, Wallace influenced a generation of artists emerging from the Vancouver scene, including members of the so-called Vancouver School of artists, Jeff Wall, Ken Lum, Stan Douglas,

Roy Arden Roy Arden (born 1957) is a Canadian artist, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He also creates sculpture from found objects, oil paintings, graphite drawings and collage, and curates and writes on contemporary art. Career Arden gra ...

and

Rodney Graham William Rodney Graham (January 16, 1949 – October 22, 2022) was a Canadian visual artist and musician. He was closely associated with the Vancouver School. Early life Graham was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on January 16, 1949. ...

Awards

In 2004, Wallace received a

Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are annual awards for achievements in visual and media arts in Canada. Up to eight awards are presented annually with the prize amount is $25,000 Created in 2000 by then Governor General Adrie ...

. He was also named an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

, second highest honour for merit, in December 2012. In 2016 he was inducted into the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

Gallery

Ian_Wallace_La_Melancholie_de_la_Rue_1973.jpg Ian_Wallace_At_Work_1983.jpg Ian_Wallace_Studio_Museum_Street_1986.jpg Ian_Wallace_In_the_Street_I-IV_1989_Kunsthalle-Zurich-installation-2008.jpg Ian_Wallace_Jazz-Street-I-II-2001-each-244-x-152-cm.jpg File:Ian Wallace Support Surface I-II 2007 canvases-each 152x152cm.jpg Ian_Wallace_The_Table_I-X_2011.jpg

Bibliography

* ''Ian Wallace: At the Intersection of Painting and Photography'', Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver and Black Dog Publishing, London UK, 2012 * ''Tropismes'', Galerie Greta Meert, 2012 * ''Ian Wallace: The Economy of the Image'', The Power Plant,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 2010 * ''Ian Wallace: A Literature of Images'',

Kunsthalle Zürich The Kunsthalle Zürich is a contemporary art exhibition centre in Zurich, Switzerland. It is located on Limmatstrasse, near the city centre. A number of temporary exhibitions are organized each year. In 2014 Daniel Baumann replaced Beatrix Ruf ...

, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westflen,

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

, Witte de With, co-published by Sternberg Press, 2008 * ''In the Studio: Ian Wallace'', Vancouver: Charles H. Scott Gallery, 2007 * ''Ian Wallace: Clayoquot Protest'',

Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake (german: Maschsee) approximately south ...

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, 1998 * ''Ian Wallace: The Idea of the University'', Vancouver: Fine Arts Gallery, University of British Columbia, 1990 * ''Ian Wallace: Images'', Saint Étienne: Maison de la Culture, 1989 * ''Ian Wallace: Selected Works, 1970 - 1987'', Vancouver:

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

, 1988

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Ian 1943 births Living people Artists from Vancouver Canadian photographers University of British Columbia faculty Canadian conceptual artists Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts