Contemporary Calgary Presents Paola Pivi’s First Canadian Exhibition
Installation view, Paola Pivi: Come check it out. October 3, 2024 - March 2, 2025, Contemporary Calgary. Photo by Blaine Campbell.
Contemporary Calgary Presents Paola Pivi’s First Canadian Exhibition
Internationally Acclaimed Artist to Unveil New Feathered Polar Bears in a Playful, Provocative Show
Calgary, Alta (October 1, 2024) - Contemporary Calgary is excited to announce the Canadian debut of internationally acclaimed artist Paola Pivi with her highly anticipated solo exhibition, Come check it out. Opening on October 3, 2024, this exhibition presents Pivi’s provocative sculptural installations that explore the relationship between the natural and manufactured worlds and encourages visitors to reflect on personal responsibility, environmental impact, and cultural stereotypes. The senior curator of Contemporary Calgary, Kanika Anand, and artist Paola Pivi are available for interviews upon request. To book interviews with key spokespeople and request photos please email nikita@parkerpr.ca. Pivi’s work skillfully intertwines humour with deep introspection, challenging our perceptions of how we interact with the natural world for beauty, utility, fashion, and profit. The exhibition features some of Pivi’s most iconic works, including six polar bear sculptures, five of which were produced specially for the exhibition, It’s me (2022), a replica of the Statue of Liberty with an emoji mask modeled after Pivi’s 2022 commission for The High Line, NY; Untitled (shoes) (2022), an installation of over 145 pairs of used and new shoes commissioned by The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; and the film I wish I am fish (2009), based on a performance in which 84 goldfish were flown on a passenger plane over New Zealand for the durational event One Day Sculpture, Auckland.
“We are proud to present Paola Pivi’s first solo exhibition in Canada at Contemporary Calgary,” said David Leinster, CEO of Contemporary Calgary. “Her work is visually stunning, playful, and engaging, yet it invites us to question how we engage with the natural world. There’s a profound relevance for Calgary and Alberta, where the landscapes are rich in natural beauty, but also where the conversation around environmental stewardship is particularly timely.”
Curator of the exhibition Kanika Anand emphasized the broader significance of Pivi’s work: “Paola Pivi is one of the most significant contemporary artists today. The work is born from observations and imaginings that expand on the potentialities and possibilities of things around us. Staged as a series of sculptural installations in the spirit of a Happening, Pivi’s works are spectacular, hypnotic, familiar, awkward, provocative, and silly, all at once. Her work seeks the truthful and factual in ways that peel back layers of misinformation and break down stereotypes, but with a sense of irony and playfulness that allows for wider engagement and deeper introspection. We are extremely excited to present this body of work in Calgary, and this exhibition will undoubtedly spark meaningful conversations here in Calgary.”
In addition to its playful yet critical exploration of environmental themes, Come check it out underscores Contemporary Calgary’s role as a cultural leader, bringing world-class artists to the city and fostering engagement with international contemporary art.
Come check it out opens October 3, 2024. For press inquiries, interviews, and high-resolution images, please contact Nikita at nikita@parkerpr.ca.