Night Sky 6, 1979

Private Collection, Calgary

Mount Royal University, Calgary

Tom Graff, ‘Gathie Falk Exhibition: YOU ARE HERE’, “Deeply Vocal” [online], March 18, 2009 Becky Rynor, ‘An Interview with Gathie Falk’, “National Gallery of Canada Magazine” [online], June 20, 2017

Multi-disciplinary artist, Gathie Falk, is one of Canada’s most celebrated conceptual artists. On her practice, Falk explains: “art is mostly both conceptual and equally important in its visual aesthetics.” In a 2017 interview with Becky Rynor, Falk further explains: “I used to use clay, but I had an operation to remove my tailbone about 26 years ago, which made it impossible for me to use heavy materials. So I painted for a long time, and painting is very important to me. I paint with oils, and I enjoy that and I can make things that I find important to me.” Ever adaptable, Falk channelled her practice into two dimensional works rather than abandoning her art. Tom Graff argues that “she adheres to the mid century manifesto of art for art’s sake.” The artist’s “Heavenly Bodies Series” is a body of work focused on the night sky. The artist revisited this series three times over, exhibiting iterations of the night sky and its glowing stars, clouds and moon phases which the artist found interesting. Crediting Vincent Van Gogh as one of her most profound inspirations, the viewer can indeed see the reference to the celestial mystery of the night sky in Falk’s works as in Van Gogh’s iconic works. Enveloping the viewer with the large scale of the work, “Night Sky 6” explores the poetic wonder and curiosity prompted by gazing at the night sky.