Love Thy Neighbor

Elsa Robinson and John Kayinamura.

February 1 to 29

Art Gallery of St. Albert to present its first Black History Month art exhibition

January 29, 2020, Edmonton, Alberta – The Art Gallery of St. Albert (AGSA) is about to host its first exhibition to mark Black History Month. In collaboration with Reez Community Foundation, the gallery is proud to present Love thy Neighbour, featuring paintings and mixed media works by two talented Edmonton-based artists, Elsa Robinson and John Kayinamura.

To recognize the shared humanity in everyone’s neighbours, the artists’ work in this exhibition provide positive opportunities to listen and learn in order to foster compassion, while also exploring racism and racialization in society.

The paintings in Love thy Neighbour present the artists’ interpretation of aspects of the history of race relations in the world. “Before, people created boundaries because of physical differences. New generations have come, and they have made changes. They have reached beyond the boundaries to make this world better,” says feature artist John Kayinamura.  

John Kayinamura was born in Rwanda. He migrated to Canada in 2004 and has been living in Edmonton for 13 years. Using oil paints, his work includes portraits, landscapes, and wildlife images.

Elsa Robinson, a Jamaican- Canadian mixed media artist whose decades-long artistic practice imbues her work with vibrancy, versatility and an intuitive spiritual poignancy. Through her years of study, Elsa has honed the ability to transmit her deep love and care for humanity. Elsa is recognized for her ability to distil the wisdom and experiences most important to the human condition.

Love thy Neighbour mirrors the purpose of February 2020’s Black History Month; to recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of black men and women (both past and present) to our history, culture and society.

Image credit: Elsa Robinson, Black Painting IV, mixedmedia, 20x16", 2020.