The GOODS from The Acorn

Vancouver, BC | The Acorn Artist Series shines a light on artists in Vancouver whose work we admire greatly and wish to proliferate in our own humble way. Each month we make a new artist postcard that gets handed out to our guests who are free to frame it, mail it, or fold it into an airplane and surprise their neighbour.

This month, we’re featuring the work of Vancouver-based Laura Piasta. Piasta is an artist whose practice explores the agency of objects through a conceptually driven exploration of materials. Her work often approaches the subject of landscape through alternative applications where natural occurring phenomena and material become subjects and or participants in the production and reading of the work. Her practice is not bound to one medium or discipline, blurring the boundaries between craft, concept, sound and vision.

Piasta received the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Emerging Artist. We spoke to Laura about her work and what it’s like calling Vancouver home after spending 5 years abroad.

Your work takes on many forms from sculpture to painting, sound and installation. When working in so many different mediums I’m interested in your process and how a piece might take shape. I truly wish that I had the ability to work in one medium and I admire artists that have the capability to really focus their practice in one area. That being said I’ve come to embrace experimentation in my work and I get really excited to work with and research new materials in my practice. There are different ways in which I approach making work, sometimes it’s through a trail of research or questions where thoughts materializes into a project. These questions are usually influenced by scientific or philosophical ideas that I happen upon through reading or listening (I’m a big fan of podcasts). The other way that I might approach making work is directly through the material itself, and this process is more of an intuitive and organic approach to making work. I need there to be a balance between a cerebral investigation and a visceral experience and sometimes it takes approaching things from different angles to make a complete work.

When is the next time Vancouverites will be able to see your work and what can you tell us about it? LP I am currently working on a new body of work that will be shown at the end of November for a solo show at Access Gallery. The exhibition is called Sounding the Ultraviolet and will be a selection of new pieces that I have been working on over the course of the year including some new sculptural works and material explorations. There is a loose theme of works that explore acoustic perception and the materiality of sound. Alongside the exhibition I will be launching my first limited edition book work, a series of optical marble prints. I’m really looking forward to having the final book in my hands.

What do you enjoy about being an artist working in Vancouver? It can be a tough city in a lot of ways but the art scene has always thrived.

Any idea why that might be? Having lived abroad in Germany (Berlin) and Sweden (Umeå and Göteborg) for over five years, I have to say I really appreciate the concentration of the art community in Vancouver, the scale of the city is manageable – it’s possible to see most of the exhibitions and to have cohesive conversations with other artists in the community. Vancouver has the perfect balance of federal and provincial funding and lack of a commercial market to make the work that is produced here interesting and refreshingly exciting. Don’t get me wrong, you have to work your ass off just to cover housing and studio rents not to mention material costs and then you spend half your day complaining about how EXPENSIVE this city is but really, what other city can you bike over to the beach and see a Grey Whale? I don’t believe it’s easy to be an artist anywhere but for now I’m trying to enjoy the things that I had overlooked previously, primarily taking advantage of this crazy and amazing landscape that surrounds us.

DETAILS

3995 Main Street | Vancouver, BC
Telephone: 604-566-9001 | Email: [email protected]
Web: www.theacornrestaurant.ca | Twitter | Facebook
Hours: Sunday to Thursday – Dinner until 10:00pm / Bar Service until 12am
Friday and Saturday – Dinner until 11pm / Bar Service until 12am
Weekend Brunch – Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-2:30pm

GALLERY

THE PEOPLE

General Manager / Owner – Shira Blustein
Head Chef – Rob Clarke
Chef de Cuisine – Brian Luptak

ABOUT THE ACORN

Refined vegetarian eatery focusing on imaginative plates with vegan, raw and gluten-free options. The Riley Park corner location boasts a chic, minimalist interior that is equally popular with omnivores. Open late, the bar showcases seasonal, original cocktails alongside wines and craft beers from British Columbia.

No Reservations. For parties of 6 or more, a family table is available for an early or later seating. Please call 604-566-9001 for availability.

ACCOLADES: En Route One of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2013 | Gold Medal Plates Victoria “Gold Medal Winner” | CNN – World’s 10 Best Vegetarian Destinations | The Daily Meal – #2 on the Top 25 Vegetarian Restaurants in the World | Montecristo Magazine | The New York Times | Westender 2012 Best of Vancouver Awards | Westender “On The Plate” | Sharp For Men | Huffington Post | Georgia Straight | Vancouver Sun