Marian Wihak

Canadian multi-disciplinary artist Marian Wihak was born and raised in the city of Regina, in the great plains of South Central Saskatchewan, and lives and works in Toronto, Ontario. Originally trained in theatre design, and with a long-standing career as a film production designer, Marian is also a visual artist with an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design from OCADU.
For many years the focus of her visual art practice has been creating evocative, large-scale oil paintings that chart nocturnal lightscapes both rural and urban, inner psychological landscapes, and dynamic weather systems. In recent years she also builds on her familiarity with and understanding of spatial responsiveness and metaphoric narrative, integrating her design and visual art practices to develop new possibilities in immersive and experiential environments. This serves her overarching interest in the overlapping perceptive and phenomenological aspects of chaos, the sublime and duration.
Marian has been the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her theatre and film design work and as a visual artist has being supported by the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council. She was also a Finalist in the prestigious RBC Painting Competi...

Ontario College of Art & Design University, Interdisciplinary Masters in Art, Media & Design (2014):
SSHRC affiliated Internship, Vancouver, B.C. (2012)
Fogo Island Residency, Fogo Island, NL (2011)

Banff Centre Residency in Visual Art (2009)
Studio Arts Centre International, Florence, Italy (1984)

University of Regina, Sask., BFA with Distinction – Theatre major/Visual Art minor (1977):
Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, Halifax, N.S.
Nova Scotia Technical College, Halifax, N.S.
(selected architectural studies)
Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S.Theatre studies

Banff School of the Arts: Theatre program, Stagecraft Apprenticeship (1975)

SOLO EXHIBIITONS
"Marking Time", Loop Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (Oct.2018)
"Deep Circularity", MFA Thesis Exhibition, Toronto, Ontario (April 2014)
"Boundless: Sublime Maelstrom", Rotunda Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario (2012)
"Boundless: Sublime Maelstrom", Cube Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario (2011)
"Boundless: Sublime Maelstrom", Art Gallery of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan (2009)
"Boundless: The View From Here", Rotunda Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario (2007)
"Interior Spaces: LIminal Places", Oeno Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario (2006)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
"Oroborous", St. Anne's Anglican Church, Toronto, Ontario (Sept.2018)
"Excavation(...closer to where we began)", sculptural installation as part of Toronto Design Offsite (TODO) (January 2018) and also Sculpting New Reads/Word on the Street, Toronto (Sept. 2017)
"Drawing 2016", John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (2016)
"Tidelines", IngenuityFest, Cleveland, Ohio (2015)
"Deep Circularity", Art Spin, Toronto, Ontario (2014)
"Take a penny, leave a penny", in collaboration with Martha Griffith, Scotia Bank Plaza, Nuit Blanche,Toronto, Ontario (2013)
"Ovum Quadratum", site-specific installation, Hazelton Arts Festival, Toronto, Ontario (2013)
"Veil of Nature", ...