Opening Reception:
January 20, 6 - 9 pm
The Bows

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A toy, a trinket, a tiny little object
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Can you remember the last thing that you cherished? That you held so close it hurt?
Made you feel like a happy child?
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There is comfort and lifelong happiness in these things
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In all the cute.
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I want to be made of soft fabric and lace, tied with a bow
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I want nothing more than to be treasured, never lost, or forgotten.
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When I return to the earth, I leave everything behind
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I cannot let them go
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Instead, I place them on an altar and hang them on the wall. Gift them to you
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Leaving with only a memory, Heaven On Earth.
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Please take care of my beloved belongings
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At peace, asleep, let them be still

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For Vasquez-Lazo’s debut solo exhibition, Heaven on Earth, the artist asks “Can you remember the last thing that you cherished? That you held so close it hurt? Made you feel like a happy child?” 

Heaven on Earth explores ideas of what is left behind in our sacred possessions. Vasquez-Lazo instructs us to care for her objects beyond her physical presence, as they are gifts for us to preserve her memories as well as explore our own. Intentionally playing with temporality, Vasquez-Lazo complicates our understanding of past, present and future, and instead permits all three to exist simultaneously. Within a gentle installation, the work whispers comfortingly about the potential resonance and purpose which Vasquez-Lazo projected on each piece, but is not loud enough to dictate direct interpretation for the viewer. Through careful curation of objects and materials, Vasquez-Lazo desires to imprint softness and escapism upon its audience, giving permission to explore landscapes where radical vulnerability is not only present but palpable.

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Carolina Vasquez-Lazo is a multidisciplinary artist and photographer based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, Alberta). She graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Photography from Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts). Her work focuses on recontextualizing cuteness in representations of girlhood and identity in the mundane. Exploring how curating and collecting all that has been lost can be loved again.