Artist Spotlight - Greg Girard

Greg Girard is a Canadian photographer (b. 1955) who has spent much of his career in Asia, first visiting Hong Kong in 1974, and later living in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. He became a professional photographer in 1987, based first in Hong Kong and later in Shanghai. His work to date has examined the social and physical transformations taking place throughout the region.

In 1993 he co-authored (with Ian Lambot) "City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City", a record in photographs and text of the final years of Hong Kong's infamous Walled City, demolished in 1992. This unique city-within-a-city was comprised of 300 separate interconnected high-rise buildings, erected piecemeal and without an architect in sight, and housed more than 33,000 people.

In 2007, "Phantom Shanghai", a monograph of his photographs of Shanghai was published by Magenta Publishing for the Arts, and was listed by the Independent Newspaper (UK) as one of the top ten photography books ever published.

"In the Near Distance", a book of photographs of his early travels, taken between 1973 and 1985, was published in 2010 by Kominek Publications, Berlin. Photography critic Jorg Colberg cites "In the Near Distance" as "adding an important new body of work to the canon of 1970s colour art photography".

"Hanoi Calling", published in 2010 by Magenta Publishing for the Arts, is his fourth book, and looks at the Vietnamese capital on the eve of its millennium anniversary.

His work is represented by Monte Clark Gallery (Vancouver

/Toronto). He works on assignment for publications such as National Geographic Magazine and continues to pursue long-term book length projects.

Special thanks to Greg for donating "Lane off Nguyen Khuyen Street", 2009 to Unite with Art 2011.

Artist Spotlight - Samantha Walker

Samantha J Walker is a photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia specializing in documentary, commercial, and lifestyle photography and portraiture. She is available for editorial, corporate and international field assignments with particular interest in working with humanitarian NGO's in post-conflict regions.

Last year at Unite with Art, Samantha's image of a schoolgirl taken in Liberia sold for $1,035.

This year Samantha has donated another extraordinary photograph....

"Classroom - Zimbabwe, 2011"

Artist Spotlight - Tanya Slingsby

Tanya Slingsby works independently from a 2,000 sq. ft. studio gallery in Vancouver, Canada. Since 2002, she has focused solely on abstraction in painting, creating visual discourses on primordial and ethereal states in nature and the human condition. Using a formalist approach, Slingsby explores the energetic and emotional interplay of colour, texture and surface. Each work is a meditative addition and subtraction, layering polymer resin, pigment and encaustic 'mis en plat'. Tanya completed her Bachelors Degree with Honours in Fine Arts and History of Art at the University of Victoria and holds a Masters Degree in Aesthetics and History of Art by scholarship from the University of Sussex, UK.



Many thanks to Tanya for donating this piece which will be part of the Live Auction at Unite with Art.






Nuru
201048 x 48 inches
mixed media on canvas
estimated value - $7,500.00
Donated by the artist.


Tickets available at http://www.unitewithart.com/

Art Donations 2010 - David Burdeny

Award winning David Burdeny has donated his piece: Moss Covered Lavafield, Iceland, 2008 to UNITE WITH ART, 2010. His piece will be auctioned off during the Live Auction which begins at 8pm.


Moss Covered Lavafield, Iceland, 2008

32 x 64 inches, chromogenic print, aluminum mount, UV laminate
edition: 2/10
estimated value - $7,500.00
Donated by Artist
Courtesy of Jennifer Kostuik Gallery.







Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, David Burdeny has degrees in both Interior design and a Masters in Architecture. At the age of 12, Burdeny started to photograph the prairie landscape and make his own black and white prints in a makeshift darkroom that also served as his bedroom closet. Primarily self taught, his architecture and design background greatly influence his penchant for simple exacting photographs of sky, horizon and the marks humankind leaves behind. Burdeny chooses to photograph in poor light and near darkness. He uses unusually long exposures to see what our eyes normally cannot. Burdeny is based in Vancouver, Canada, and has exhibited with the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery since 2001. He has won several gold awards in international art photography competitions, the most recent being selected as International Photographer of the Year amongst 23,000 submissions, revealed at the Lucie Awards Ceremony in New York City, October 2008.



FOR TICKETS TO UNITE WITH ART VISIT: http://www.unitewithart.com/

Unite with Art - June 3rd, 2010

Unite with Art is a series of art auctions to benefit UNICEF’s Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. This year, the event will be held at Maynard's newest location on Main & 3rd in Vancouver, BC.

Further events will be held in cities across Canada. Each event will showcase high profile regional and national artists in several mediums. The gala events will be comprised of a live and complimentary silent auction plus entertainment. Through the generous contribution of artists, galleries and volunteers, Unite with Art aims to donate 100 percent of the art proceeds to UNICEF.

The event has been designed to bring awareness to this important initiative as well to celebrate the artistic skills and talents of the artists.

www.unitewithart.com