“The work is gorgeous; it was crafted and made for people to see,” says Chrissy Cheung, founder and director of Painter8. “Bringing the community together through art and interacting with being present—this is what The Glass City is about.”

The project showcases work from Rafael Sottolichio (Montreal), Melanie Garcia (Montreal), David Belcourt (Calgary), Jessica Yeandle-Hignell (Vancouver), Justin Ogilvie (Vancouver) and Lizzie McCorquodale (Vancouver Island). Cheung’s contemporary abstract paintings are also on display.

Peeking into windows

The project arose from Cheung’s reflections the ubiquitous nature of windows. At the time, her studio was in 825 Pacific St., close to another public art installation: Rodney Graham’s Spinning Chandelier.

“Everyone has a window, and if we all communicated through our window, like morse code, what would we say?” Cheung asks. “What would that look like?”

The project’s name plays with Douglas Coupland’s City of Glass. Published in 2000, Coupland’s book contains short essays and photographs of Vancouver—including how the city is shaped by glass towers.

“Glass city is a marker of time: Vancouver is the first city in Canada to become a glass city, but Toronto followed,” Sottolichio reflects. “Now, [Montreal] is becoming a glass city.”

Each Painter8 artist is exhibiting 20-30 works through one window; the pieces rotate in that window. The exhibit also includes “a group window” on the first floor that showcases a piece from each member. There is also a “floater window” that changes the formation of the windows each night.

“The windows are illuminated through rear projection,” Cheung shares of the project’s technical side. “After dark, the artwork is highly defined by the contrast of the night.”

The curator adds that, while viewers are welcomed to observe the works up close, the project “looks good from afar, across the street.” To experience The Glass City’s overall effect, she advises viewers to “stand farther back” on the street.

Sottolichio will showcase photo-based paintings from four series created between 2017 and 2025. The series are “ongoing,” each leading to the next one. The artist draws inspiration from his own photography.

The first series reflects on theatre and philosophy. “Everything is presented like a theatre—with phenomenological elements,” Sottolichio says.

The artist adds that—through silhouettes or abstract shapes—the works presents an impression of “floating in a theatre-like space.”  Sottolichio’s Alarum is another series showing in The Glass City.

According to the artist, Alarum explores war paintings through “graphic, lively and almost cartoonist” representations. Another series is titled Empire—a meeting between the worlds of industrialization and consumption.

“It’s a way of trying to critique how paintings are inside the structure of commerce,” he shares. “Often times there’s abstract shapes that play with each other and are a metaphor for meaning or trying to make sense of the structure of meaning.”

Sottolichio is a fan of continental philosophy—such as the existentialist and post-structuralist schools of thought. The last collection is inspired by American writer and intellectual Susan Sontag. It features images from his archive in a “flat, no effects” manner.

Creating a lifeline

Painter8 was created in 2013 as Cheung’s “lifeline” to connecting with artists across Canada. The group’s name pays homage to the famous Group of Seven, emphasizing the everlasting prominence of painting.

“The ‘8’ is like an infinity sign,” she adds. “At the time, I was a young mom living in Montreal and that was the only way I could connect with other artists to discuss art ideas, share artwork and get the vibe for my art community.”

The artist then relocated to Vancouver in 2016—a move that brought the group’s artwork to Vancouver. In 2017, they held an exhibit titled “Saucy” at the Red Gate Arts Society.

Sottolichio—who was born in Chile—also values the group for the opportunity to connect with others. His approach to life is rooted in encounters, a perspective passed down from his mother. His engagement with public art has also taken the form of painting murals.

“That’s the most important thing in my own personal life: I like to go around, creating synergy, creating encounters,” he says.  “My mother was particularly fond of this idea of wherever you go—you just try to understand and listen.”

“When I envision the group together, the artist’s work needs to contrast or push-pull the other artists’ works to draw an audience,” Cheung adds. “This is inherent when you have artists in different cities—they will naturally have a different approach and school of thought.”

Cheung also has a solo exhibit, Bewilder, at Richmond’s Capulet Art Gallery until Dec. 6. She titled the exhibit Bewilder because when the term is broken down—”Be Wild Der”—it sounds like “Be Wild Dear.”

The artist sees the name as inspiring people to “go for it,” setting themselves free. Covering two floors of the gallery, the exhibit presents 26 pieces, including large-scale paintings. The works reflect what Cheung calls “abstract narrative.”

“The painting depicts spaces of emotions that have layered imagery made through abstraction,” the artist shares. “There is a density I can add by layering custom colour, balancing with complement and making sure it is all harmonious in composition.”

The work “Sunset” is particularly meaningful to the artist. It is a 5’ x 9’ painting created with custom pigmented acrylics. For Cheung, the painting embodies her “signature urban landscape feel.”

“Making art in the neighbourhood where you live is very important to me,” the artist shares. “Public art is important for culture, for the city to have a pulse—to make it distinctive and provoke thought.”

For more information on Painter8, see https://www.painter8.ca/.

For more information on Chrissy Cheung, see https://observeroftime.com/.

For more information on Rafael Sottolichio, see https://www.rafaelsottolichio.com/en/.