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Two unique exhibitions close out 2025 at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery at Canadian Mennonite University, each with less-than-common creative practices behind them. The common thread between Present from God and Wood Heaven ‘n Nature Sing 2? is that they are both created with processes of permanence.
Paper cuts share Biblical stories
For Present from God, which lives on the gallery’s main floor, artist Gen Tsuboi uses a technique from his native Japan called kirie, which sees pictures intricately cut into black paper using only one line so that it can be held up.
“[Tsuboi] actually learned it from a Viennese artist,” explains Sally Ito, Tsuboi’s niece. “She had them do a kirie a week, so that’s where he learned his technique.”
After a career in interior design, Tsuboi rekindled his passion for kirie in retirement. A devout man of faith, the images in Present from God are all taken from Bible stories and presented in tableau. “He says he lets the spirit guide him in whatever he creates,” Ito says, noting that more than one image can be presented inside of a single kirie. “If you’re doing the nativity, for example,” she explains, “you can have the Magi coming as well as the shepherds. You can have different elements of the story in one image.”
The intentionality of Tsuboi’s works invites the viewer into reflection, especially when it comes to kirie depicting stories from the Advent season. “Working on a piece of art is itself a form of meditation and a form of devotion,” says Ito, adding that the reverence that the artist puts into the work is then mirrored by those who see it.
‘Artography’ captures deep faith in wood
Intentional creation fueled by faith resonates up onto the second floor of the MHC Gallery. This is where gallery-goers can find Wood Heaven ‘n Nature Sing 2?, a collection of works by Connie Bart-Hamel. The Winnipeg artist coined the term “artography” to describe her work which blends painting and photography together on wood to portray contemporary iconography informed by orthodox church traditions.
“I’ve always continued learning, always learning, always watching,” says Bart-Hamel about how she developed her decidedly unorthodox practice. “It was truly an evolution.”
Although the subjects of Bart-Hamel’s “artography” are varied, she gives particular attention to the female saints in her work, employing the centuries-old familiarity with the icon to capture people who would not have been celebrated in this fashion in the past. The wooden backdrops also give the works a natural feel juxtaposed against the feeling of being inside of a religious institution.
“I have such great fun with the nature,” Bart-Hamel says, “because I grew up on a farm. And then, to have to bring it out on wood… suited me well. So, it was a good challenge, and it continues to be a good challenge.”
Both Wood Heaven ‘n Nature Sing 2? and Present from God will be on display at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery until December 20. Hours and more information are available at the gallery’s website.
