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Exhibit opens at Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre featuring all new artists

Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre opened up their latest exhibit featuring Janna Yotte
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The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre’s Public Art Gallery’s new exhibit opened Aug. 11, featuring some local artists and a special exhibit from Janna Yotte.

The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre (RVAC) wrapped up their last exhibition on Jul. 31. Since then, they prepared for their new exhibition that opened Thursday. The event started at 5 p.m. and ran until 8:00 p.m. In the exhibit, attendees found local artwork in the three side galleries. The main gallery hosted an exhibit from Janna Yotte, whose unique style is described as both “delicate” and “imposing” by the RVAC.

Yotte’s work in the exhibit is mostly in a collage style. She explained that her process is intricate, but it comes naturally to her and helps her create life.

“So, there’s no reproduction. It’s all cut by exacto knives. And once I [cut] everything that is interesting to me, I put it all out, I file it in different trays, where I have a very organized studio system. Then, from that, I assemble new beings,” said Yotte.

Yotte takes her inspiration and her supplies from anatomical images in old medical textbooks.

Janna Yotte working on a project. (Alex Tran)

“I love using them because I feel like medicine is just such honorable work. And something I really admire. Also, to have them being the first one. Those drawings have been made before, but they were not allowed to be published because of religion and that is what I find so interesting,” said Yotte.

Yotte’s artwork comes from her fascination with duality—it features in several parts of her artistic process. Taking inspiration from things like snakes. On the one hand, their venomous bites can poison and hurt people, but on the other their venom can be the basis for antidotes and medicine. Yotte said they’re “both very attractive, and repulsive at the same time”—a theme that arises in her own work.

This is Yotte’s first exhibit where an artist-run gallery will host her work. She said that the opportunity gave her a mixture of positive emotions.

“It’s both very validating, and very reassuring in a way,” said Yotte.

Yotte was also thrilled to have her own exhibition put on by people in another place in Canada.

“There’s actually people –other people than me– hanging my stuff on the wall. Like, for me, that feels very surreal, and very, very exciting,” said Yotte.

Despite her success, Yotte –like all artists– still has moments when she is challenged by her artwork. For her, the challenge arises when she considers the scale of her work. Striving to grow her artwork means that she has more to consider. Technically, there’s more material, which can create more limitations in what she does.

Still, Yotte finds that the artistic process as a whole comes more naturally to her. Yotte feels the most rewarding part of her process is seeing the finished product.

The gallery hosted the first night of their new exhibit on Thursday, Aug. 11. (Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre)
The gallery hosted the first night of their new exhibit on Thursday, Aug. 11. (Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre)

“When an artwork comes together really well, and you’re just blown away and you were not expecting it. That feels really amazing,” said Yotte.

Her exhibit will be on at the RVAC Public Art Gallery until Sep. 1.

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@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com

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Zach Delaney

About the Author: Zach Delaney

I came to the Revelstoke Review from Ottawa, Ontario, where I earned a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University.
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