On display at Abbotsford’s The Reach Gallery Museum, paintings take aim at conservatism, neo-liberalism, wealth and climate.
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“Most of all, I am painting to invite reflection and galvanize people to challenge the neo-liberal conditions under which we’re all living,” said Sandvoss, who has paintings on display at the Seattle-Tacoma airport and at YVR.
“The assault on the quality of life for most people is becoming unavoidable and unmanageable. And people are, I think, deeply wanting change, and we can’t keep ignoring climate change, and our leaders should be improving the lives for average people, not filling the pockets of and amassing riches for the privileged few.”
In a nod to Rembrandt’s Syndics of the Draper’s Guild (1662), Sandvoss’s Jeff Bezos and the Green New Deal piece shows a multitude of Jeff Bezos surrounding the Green New Deal, which is a series of proposals calling for American public policy to address climate change, job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The piece titled A Promise depicts Elon Musk holding the UN’s world hunger plan. For context on that one, in 2021, financial documents revealed that Musk withheld from the UN $6 billion USD that he said he would donate to solve world hunger. Instead, he gave the money to his own foundation, reaping the tax benefits.
Another work in the show points a finger at our luxury desires as it shows Sisyphus the Greek King, not with the traditional boulder heading up the mountain, but with a Louis Vuitton bag over his shoulder.
The Hapless Toad painting comments on the overturning of Roe v. Wade by showing the conservative Supreme Court of the United States justices and Trump observing an autopsy on a woman.
The show at The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford was curated by Kellyn Kavanagh as part of the University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) Arts Worx practicum program. Kavanagh, a UFV student, started working on the exhibition just before the U.S. presidential election in November 2024.
“Abbotsford is a very conservative, Christian-leaning community, and I wanted to do something that I thought might spark some discussions within the community,” said Kavanagh.
“Something I found disturbing over the last few years that played into my decision about wanting to work with Alex was seeing a rise in popularity of Trump within Canada … The other thing is, what does happen politically in the United States does send echoes into Canada. When I saw Alex’s artwork, I thought it was a really interesting opportunity to potentially put up an exhibition that could inspire discussions about what direction we may be heading in. What kind of future we may be facing.”
The idea of her work showing in a conservative stronghold is, of course, not lost on Sandvoss, who earned critical acclaim for her first exhibition, 2018’s The Faces We Pass by Every Day, which focused on the homeless and low-income residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
“I felt immense gratitude, because it showed me that there are still institutions who are willing to cover these types of hot topics and this type of subject matter. And who are willing to stand behind these messages,” said Sandvoss.
“I know there’s fear in people to talk about these kinds of things, or to back them in an institution. So (the fact) that The Reach did that just meant a lot to me.”