Wandering comfortably between worlds of the abstract and narrative – Canadian artist Niina Chebry selects and dissects her subject matter to keep the viewer engaged and questioning. The suggestion of land, horse, or Asian calligraphy is gestural one moment and methodical the next. There is not one technique she clings to – but the essence of her approach – the juicy layers of texture and translucent colour, creates a sense of mystery to her work.Chebry draws from a wide range of sources for her paintings. She has traveled – collecting inspiration from Asia, Europe and South America. Her childhood spent under vast prairie skies of rural Alberta, she now lives in Vancouver – where the shift to coastal flora and fauna seep into her compositions.
Niina studied fine art at the University of Alberta and received her Bachelor of Education in 1986. As a founding member of Parker Art Salon, Niina is part of a vibrant arts community in East Vancouver where she also instructs art workshops. Her paintings are included in public and private collections in Canada, United States, Europe and Japan, notably at the Ueno Royal Museum of Art and the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Niina’s work is repesented by Vancouver Art Gallery, Art Rental Gallery, and The Avenue Gallery in Victoria, BC.
CBC Art Minute:
She paints with spatulas and squegees but won’t tell you all of her secret tecniques
Exhibition Record
Solo
2017 Longines World Cup, Thunderbird Show Park, Fort Langley, Canada
2007 Kanji, Sunshine Coast Art Centre, Sechelt, Canada
2004 Divine Equine, Art Junction, Whistler, Canada
2003 Simply Bovine, Gallery 83, Vancouver, Canada
2003 HOLY COW II, Iron Works Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
2001 New Work, Phoenix Art Gallery, Richmond, Canada
1999 Returning, Tokyo Salon, Tokyo, Japan
1999 HOLY COW, Vision Network, Tokyo, Japan
1999 KANJI, Bauhaus Gallery, Sapporo, Japan
1998 Sacred Cow, Sassenach Café, Sapporo, Japan
1998 KANJI, Obihiro International Centre, Obihiro, Japan
1998 Sacred Cow, Chomin Hall, Shikaoi, Japan
1993 New Work, Annie Mourillon Galerie, Strasbourg, France
Group
2023 Outside In Space , Hearth Gallery, Bowen Island, Canada
2021 On The Edge Of Beauty, Hearth Gallery, Bowen Island, Canada
2017 – 2019/ 2022 PARKER ART SALON, 1000 Parker Street, Vancouver, Canada
2016 The Assurance of Doubt, Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
2009 TREES: The Storm or 2006, Studio 316, Vancouver, Canada
2008 Mousieur RoDent, Studio 316, Vancouver, Canada
2007 Fowl Play, Studio 316, Vancouver, Canada
2006 Ruby Red, Sugar and Sugar, Vancouver, Canada
2005 Holy Cow, Britannia Library, Vancouver Canada
2004 Serendipity, Vancouver Art Gallery Art Rental, Vancouver, Canada
2002 Juxtapose, Gallery 83, Vancouver, Canada,
1999 New Work, Art Space, Sapporo, Japan
1996 Member Show, Latitude 53 Gallery, Edmonton, Canada
1996 Figurative, Ortona Gallery, Edmonton, Canada
1995 Member Show Harcourt Gallery, Edmonton, Canada
1992 Plasticiens, L’Estampe Galerie, Strasbourg, France
1987 From The field, Oppertshauser Gallery, Stony Plain, Canada
Juried Invitation Shows
1999 Vision 2000 Canadian Embassy of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
1999 The 18th Ueno Royal Museum of Art Grand Prize Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
1997 New Artists 1996 Edmonton Art Rental Gallery, Edmonton, Canada
Acquisitions
Alberta Art Foundation 1996
Publications
Judy Szabo, “Two Artists, Two Great Shows”, The Question, Jan.9, 2004
Shelley Arnusch, “New Works on Whistler Gallery Walls”, The Pique, Jan.30, 2004 HOLY COW ” Pick of the Week”, Georgia Straight, July19, 2003
Monty DiPietro, “Show 2000”, Canada Culture, Canadian Embassy News, May 4, 1999
Maki Nibayashi,” Time in Japan”, Tokyo Classified, 1999, 2000
Tokachi News, review of Kanji, Mainiti, May 5, 1999
Benjamin Rosse, “Eric Vu-An” (illustrations of a dancer’s biography), 1993