Fire: Creation and Destruction, an evocative exhibition at the Italian Cultural Centre’s Il Museo Gallery, brings together the Sculptors’ Society of B.C. (SSBC) and six Indigenous artists to offer visitors a chance to reflect on fire’s significance in shaping landscapes, communities and traditions.

It is a thought-provoking collaboration that casts an introspective look at the profound impact of B.C.’s wildfire season through diverse artistic interpretations. It also marks SSBC’s 50th anniversary and examines fire as both a destructive force and a cultural symbol.

Fire: Creation and Destruction at the Italian Cultural Centre’s Il Museo Gallery | Photo courtesy of Italian Cultural Centre website

“It’s this idea of how we deal with the threat of fire and the fear based on their cultural backgrounds,” says Angela Clarke, the Italian Cultural Centre’s museum director and curator.

Facing fear and embracing diversity
Inspired by the devastating 2021 wildfires in Lytton, B.C., Clarke envisioned the exhibition sparking conversations about living with the fear and reality of wildfires while providing an inclusive space for artists to exchange cultural insights. In their understandings of fire, Clarke says artists are encouraged to follow any direction they prefer.

“The notion is to represent that as Canadians, we all have a mixture of identities, and that’s how we negotiate our place in the world,” Clarke explains. “It’s this idea of how we deal with the threat of fire and the fear based on their cultural backgrounds.”

Clarke points out that Indigenous communities have fascinating cultural ways of relating to fire. Fire is not only a destructive force but also a vital element that must be balanced with its counterpart – water. Indigenous artist Aaron Rice has chosen to project images of fire and water onto Indigenous drums, highlighting the interplay between these natural forces.

“If you have ways of dealing with it and understanding the elements, then you can harness it for something that is deeply meaningful,” Clarke says.

Indigenous communities are now adapting their ancestral knowledge of harnessing fire for modern use. They are actively sharing their prescribed methods of fire management with wildfire specialists, offering valuable insights into sustainable ways to deal with B.C. wildfires.

Gratitude, fire, and environmental warnings
“If you want to call it science or nature or Mother Earth…we have to take care of it; it’s part of a reciprocal relationship,” says Indigenous artist annie ross who infuses her connection to nature into her artistic interpretation of fire.

Having grown up in an Indigenous community in California and learned from plants, animals, and Indigenous culture, ross is both grateful to and fascinated by nature. Currently teaching at Simon Fraser University, this gratitude underpins ross’s exploration of fire as both a destructive force and a symbolic warning of environmental degradation caused by human indifference.

“The way we live our daily lives is burning everything up and it won’t come back,” she explains. “It has to quit. It has to stop.”

In her sculptural work, she creates protective ponchos with found materials for animal figures such as bears that represent a spiritual being within Indigenous community. These pieces symbolize the need to safeguard wildlife displaced by wildfires while reminding us of humanity’s role in environmental crises.

“It’s our responsibility to take care of every life more. It’s our responsibility to love one another,” she argues.

She also reimagines discarded figurines by dressing them in ceremonial attire, challenging conventional ideas of value and waste. These sculptures urge viewers to reconsider what society discards.

“I want people to think about what’s precious and why,” adds ross.

The exhibition also features a partnership with the Vancouver Historical Society, which hosted a series of fire-themed lectures on Oct. 24 to deepen public understanding of fire’s impact across cultures and landscapes.

“I hope [our work] is to have the conversation about why these things matter and consider for ourselves our own individual and collective part in how to fix it,” ross says.

The exhibition runs until December 31. For more information, go to www.italianculturalcentre.ca/current-exhibition.