Clever wordplay forms thoughtful art

Take a carefully crafted screen print, throw some letters over it and whole new style of art emerges.

Kelowna-based artist Briar Craig incorporates text and clever wordplay onto his complex screen prints to create a thoughtful form of art.

Craig’s solo exhibition, ReadMe, opens this weekend at the Kelowna Art Gallery.

The artist creates his screen prints by using ultra-violet cured ink superimposed over found objects like magazines and chalkboards. It is a labour-intensive process that requires many layers and multiple applications. The words imposed on top are said to shine a spotlight on political rhetoric and reframe everyday phrases.

“These screen prints by Briar

Craig felt especially timely,” says Christine May, curator at the

Kelowna Art Gallery. “Right now there is just so much information and messaging we are being bombarded with from all of the things we are plugged into. To me, these works navigate some of the confusion we are seeing.”

People familiar with Craig’s art may see some of his previous pieces have been refashioned for the new exbition.

ReadMe opens Saturday and runs to April 17.

Craig is a professor of printmaking, photography and drawing at UBC Okanagan. His work has been featured in over 25 solo exhibitions and hundreds of group exhibitions, and is a part of many permanent collections around the world.

He is also the founder of the Okanagan Print Triennial, an international juried competition dedicated to showcasing printmaking in Canada and beyond.

The art gallery is located at 1315 Water St.