The Fort Gallery is pleased to present Gol Nu Get Mote, an exhibition by Vancouver-based photographer Jeff Downer. It is the first of a series of four exhibitions that explore the social, cultural, and environmental significance of the Fraser River and the gallery’s location on its shores.
Downer’s project took him on a journey along the length of the Fraser from the Lower Mainland to Boston Bar to document the communities that line its shores. The cryptic exhibition title Gol Nu Get Mote refers to a dilapidated sign that graces the facade of the Gold Nugget Motel in Yale, BC. Signs of decay and the passage of time mar the familiar landmarks in Downer’s photographs. These images draw attention to the moments of strangeness and dissonance that arise at the intersection of colonization, industry, frontier mythologies and contemporary tourism.
The quiet landscapes he photographs are often devoid of people but resonate with human presence in the form of power lines, abandoned industrial sites, tourist attractions and eccentric small town businesses. His photographs draw attention to the dashed hopes of early frontier mythologies of limitless resources and question the legacies that we are leaving in the rapidly developing Fraser River Valley.
Gol Nu Get Mote runs January 10-February 15 at the Fort Gallery. An opening reception and artist talk will be held Friday, January 10, 7-9pm. Downer will lead a workshop in alternative DIY photographic print processes at the gallery February 9, 12-5pm, see Workshops for registration information.
Downer’s project took him on a journey along the length of the Fraser from the Lower Mainland to Boston Bar to document the communities that line its shores. The cryptic exhibition title Gol Nu Get Mote refers to a dilapidated sign that graces the facade of the Gold Nugget Motel in Yale, BC. Signs of decay and the passage of time mar the familiar landmarks in Downer’s photographs. These images draw attention to the moments of strangeness and dissonance that arise at the intersection of colonization, industry, frontier mythologies and contemporary tourism.
The quiet landscapes he photographs are often devoid of people but resonate with human presence in the form of power lines, abandoned industrial sites, tourist attractions and eccentric small town businesses. His photographs draw attention to the dashed hopes of early frontier mythologies of limitless resources and question the legacies that we are leaving in the rapidly developing Fraser River Valley.
Gol Nu Get Mote runs January 10-February 15 at the Fort Gallery. An opening reception and artist talk will be held Friday, January 10, 7-9pm. Downer will lead a workshop in alternative DIY photographic print processes at the gallery February 9, 12-5pm, see Workshops for registration information.
