Divya Mehra

The work of Divya Mehra melds critical precision with biting wit to produce disarming, deceptively complex meditations on difficult subjects. With a canny visual language and piercing concision, Mehra’s works give unexpected form to trenchant observations on themes spanning racial violence, colonial theft, displacement, and grief, deftly layering nuanced critique with an acerbic humour. 

In ~~*Live Laugh Love*~~, Mehra presents a pair of new works aimed at the social landscape of the Pacific Northwest. On the walls of the B.C. Binning Gallery, a monumental monochrome painting anchors the exhibition. Offering a wry critical counterpoint to the work of late American artist Robert Ryman, Mehra renders in white-on-white a racist poster that circulated in suburban Vancouver last year, producing a ghostly space at once seemingly empty and laden with the ways whiteness operates, occupies and subsumes.

In the gallery opposite, Mehra has constructed a child-sized play structure assembled from nearly 1,000 yoga blocks. Modeled on a castle from Nintendo’s original Super Mario Bros, the sculpture rehearses references familiar to the region — leisure, wellness, safe spaces, tech — while asking to whom the benefits of these cultures might primarily accrue and, more pointedly, who might require safety from whom in this landscape.

*Divya Mehra: ~~Live Laugh Love~~* is generously supported by the Friends of Divya Mehra.

#### Biography
Divya Mehra (b. 1981, Winnipeg) is known for her meticulous attention to the interaction of form, medium and site. Her works are a reminder of the complex realities of displacement, loss and oppression. Mehra’s work has been exhibited, screened and commissioned by Frieze Sculpture, Los Angeles; Creative Time, New York; MoMA PS1, New York; Queens Museum of Art, New York; MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA; CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco; Nuit Blanche, Toronto; and the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. She has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Times of India, ArtAsiaPacific, Hyperallergic, The Globe and Mail, and The Washington Post. Mehra’s work is in numerous public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Global Affairs Canada; and the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. She is the recipient of the 2022 Sobey Art Award. Mehra lives and works in Seattle.

Exhibition Essay Booklet - Divya Mehra - P1.pdf

CAG - Divya  Mehra - Exhibition Guide - Regular Print - Web.pdf

CAG - Divya  Mehra - Exhibition Guide - Large Print - P1.pdf

large_Divya Mehra - Fall 2024 - promo image option 2.jpg

medium_Divya Mehra - Fall 2024 - promo image option 2.jpg

small_Divya Mehra - Fall 2024 - promo image option 2.jpg

thumbnail_Divya Mehra - Fall 2024 - promo image option 2.jpg

Divya Mehra - Fall 2024 - promo image option 2.jpg

Black vinyl text on a white gallery wall leading into an exhibition, introducing the artist “Divya Mehra.” The exhibition title “Live Laugh Love" is written in strikethrough letters.

large_01 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_01 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_01 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_01 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

01 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

The front façade of a castle built from white yoga blocks, resembling a child's play structure. The castle sits in the centre of a gallery and occupies the majority of its space.

large_02 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_02 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_02 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_02 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

02 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

A castle resembling a child's play structure built from white yoga blocks, viewed from the front left. The castle’s top level sits atop a larger ground level with an arched entryway.

large_03 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_03 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_03 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_03 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

03 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

A castle resembling a child's play structure built from white yoga blocks, viewed from the front right. The castle’s top level sits atop a larger ground level with an arched entryway.

large_04 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_04 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_04 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_04 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

04 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

A castle resembling a child's play structure built from white yoga blocks, viewed from the back. The castle’s top level sits atop a larger ground level with an arched entryway.

large_05 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_05 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_05 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_05 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

05 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

"A close-up of parapets along the top of a wall, all made from yoga blocks. "

large_06 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_06 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_06 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_06 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

06 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

"A close-up of a wall built from yoga blocks with two cut out windows. In the lower foreground there are two yoga block parapets visible.  "

large_07 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_07 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_07 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_07 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

07 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

"A close-up of yoga blocks stacked one on top of another to create a wall, resembling a brick wall pattern. "

large_08 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_08 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_08 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_08 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

08 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

" A panoramic view of an empty gallery with white walls and concrete floors. The side walls have white text painted on them, which is difficult to read. On the left, the word “Whites” is visible. "

large_09 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_09 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_09 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_09 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

09 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

"A white gallery wall with a paragraph of white text painted on it, which is difficult to read. The gallery is otherwise empty.  "

large_10 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_10 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_10 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_10 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

10 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

An oblique view of a white gallery wall with a paragraph of white text painted on it, which is difficult to read. The reflection of light makes the top lines of text more visible. 

large_11 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_11 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_11 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_11 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

11 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

An oblique view of a white gallery wall with lines of white text painted on it, which are difficult to read. The reflection of light reveals the phrase “Are you looking for somewhere your children can play.”

large_12 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_12 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_12 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_12 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

12 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

An oblique view of a white gallery wall with lines of white text painted on it. The reflection of light reveals the phrases “spent amongst their own people” and “because they deserve it.”

large_13 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_13 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_13 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_13 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

13 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

"A close-up of a white wall with lines of white text painted on it, which are difficult to read. The reflection of light reveals the word “diversity” in quotation marks below the word “schools.” "

large_14 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_14 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_14 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_14 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

14 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

A white gallery wall with a white text graphic painted on it, which is difficult to read. Above the wall are five windows. The gallery is otherwise empty. 

large_15 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_15 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_15 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_15 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

15 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

An oblique view of a white gallery wall below a row of windows with a white text graphic painted on it, which is difficult to read. The reflection of light reveals the phrase “Whites-only”. 

large_16 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_16 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_16 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_16 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

16 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

A close-up of a white gallery wall below a row of windows with white text painted on it, which is difficult to read. The reflection of light reveals the words “Join us for” at the top of the wall.

large_17 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_17 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_17 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_17 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

17 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

"An oblique view of a white gallery wall with a white text graphic painted on it, which is difficult to read. The reflection of light reveals the word “Whites” arched across the wall. "

large_18 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_18 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_18 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_18 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

18 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

An oblique view of a white gallery wall with a white text graphic painted on it, which is difficult to read. The reflection of light reveals the word "Moms" accross the bottom of the wall. 

large_19 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_19 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_19 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_19 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

19 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

A detail of white text painted on a white wall. The angle of the light hitting the wall reveals the uneven contrast between the text and walls from the camera's point of view.

large_20 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

medium_20 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

small_20 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

thumbnail_20 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

20 Divya Mehra 2024.jpg

Kablusiak

Inuvialuk artist Kablusiak embraces the wideness of Inuit experience, encompassing in their work joy, despair, sexuality, and, as an Inuk living outside Inuit Nunangat, displacement. Across an agile practice that includes drawing, sculpture, installation, and video, Kablusiak pushes the conventions of modern Inuit art with wit, irreverence and camp.
 
At the Contemporary Art Gallery, the artist exhibits *Double Feature*, two bodies of work that wryly comment on the absurdities and rituals of art and culture. Addressing the lofty aspirations associated with “high art,” Kablusiak adapts their trademark doodle figures to spell out a message across CAG’s façade, nested among humorous and heartbreaking depictions of everyday life. At Yaletown-Roundhouse Station, the artist presents large-scale photographs of their mischievous Ookpik sculptures. Looking askance at the handcrafted doll’s fetishistic popularity in the Canadian imagination, Kablusiak draws on the respective intimacies of the mass market and the subcultural, emphasizing a place for both in contemporary Inuit life. 

#### Biography
Kablusiak is a renowned multidisciplinary Inuvialuk artist who creates work in a variety of materials including, but not limited to, soapstone, permanent marker, bed sheets, felt, fur, and words. Their work explores the dis/connections between existence within and without Inuit Nunangat, the impacts of colonization on gender and sexuality expressions, trying to make people laugh, and the everyday. Kablusiak holds a BFA in Drawing from AUArts in Mohkinstsis/Calgary, where they are currently based. In all of their creative work Kablusiak seeks to demystify Inuit art and create space for Inuk-led representations of the diversity of Inuit cultures. Their work can be found in the collections of the Indigenous Art Centre, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Art Gallery of Alberta, Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, and Global Affairs Visual Art Collection, among others. Kablusiak was awarded the 2023 Sobey Art Award and is represented by Norberg Hall.

CAG - Kablusiak - Exhibition Guide - Regular Print - P1.pdf

CAG - Kablusiak - Exhibition Guide - Large Print - P1.pdf

thumbnail_RedOokpik(small).png

RedOokpik(small).png

CAG’s façade with Kablusiak's Double Feature across eight street-facing windows. The artworks are line drawn figures engaged in various activities. Some of the figures spell out words with their bodies.

large_01 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_01 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_01 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_01 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

01 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A pair of windows featuring line drawn figures engaged in various activities. Some of the figures spell out “for” and “better” with their bodies.

large_02 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_02 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_02 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_02 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

02 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A pair of windows featuring line drawn figures engaged in various activities. Some of the figures spell out “or” and “worse” with their bodies.

large_03 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_03 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_03 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_03 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

03 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A pair of windows featuring line drawn figures engaged in various activities. Some of the figures spell out “art” and “lives” with their bodies.

large_04 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_04 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_04 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_04 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

04 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A pair of windows featuring line drawn figures engaged in various activities. Some of the figures spell out “for” and “ever” with their bodies.

large_05 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_05 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_05 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_05 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

05 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A corner view of a SkyTrain station with photographs of Ookpiit in its windows. From left to right: two Ookpiit with leather gear, a Furby-inspired one, one with no fur and a Garfield-inspired one.

large_06 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_06 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_06 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_06 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

06 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A frontal view of a SkyTrain station with photographs depicting Ookpik figures, or stuffed owl toys, in its windows. From left to right are a Furby-inspired Ookpik, one with no fur and a Garfield-inspired one.

large_07 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_07 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_07 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_07 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

07 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

A frontal view of a SkyTrain station with photographs depicting Ookpik figures, or stuffed owl toys, in its windows. The Ookpiit both have red fur and sport leather accessories.

large_08 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

medium_08 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

small_08 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

thumbnail_08 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

08 Kablusiak 2024.jpg

Double Feature

We’re working on our [upcoming exhibitions](/exhibitions-and-events/upcoming). Check back soon! [Visit our archive](/exhibitions-and-events/archive/all) to see past exhibitions and events.

Closed for installation

Aruna D'Souza

[RSVP](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/in-conversation-divya-mehra-aruna-dsouza-tickets-1110703898259 "button")

Please join us for a talk at the gallery between artist Divya Mehra and writer and critic Aruna D'Souza on the occasion of Mehra's exhibition *~~Live Laugh Love~~*.

### RSVP
Registration for this event is required. Secure your place [here](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/in-conversation-divya-mehra-aruna-dsouza-tickets-1110703898259).

### Accessibility
ASL interpretation is available on request. Requests can be accommodated up to 5 days in advance. Please contact [learning@cagvancouver.org](mailto:learning@cagvancouver.org) to book or for more information.

### Biographies
Aruna D’Souza writes about modern and contemporary art, intersectional feminisms, and diasporic aesthetics. Her work appears regularly in 4Columns, The New York Times, and in numerous artist’s monographs and exhibition catalogues. *Whitewalling: Art, Race, and Protest in 3 Acts* was named one of the best art books of 2018 by the New York Times. Recent editorial projects include Linda Nochlin’s *Making It Modern: Essays on the Art of the Now* and Lorraine O’Grady’s *Writing in Space 1973-2018*; she co-curated the retrospective “Lorraine O’Grady: Both/And” at the Brooklyn Museum in 2021. She is the recipient of the 2021 Rabkin Prize for art journalism and a 2019 Andy Warhol Foundation Art Writers Grant. She was appointed the Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professor at the National Gallery of Art in 2022, and the W.W. Corcoran Professor of Social Engagement at the Corcoran School of Art, George Washington University, in 2022-2023. Her most recent book, *Imperfect Solidarities* was published in 2024.

Divya Mehra is known for her meticulous attention to the interaction of form, medium and site. Her works are a reminder of the complex realities of displacement, loss and oppression. Mehra’s work has been exhibited, screened and commissioned by Frieze Sculpture, Los Angeles; Creative Time, New York; MoMA PS1, New York; Queens Museum of Art, New York; MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA; CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco; Nuit Blanche, Toronto; and the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. She has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Times of India, ArtAsiaPacific, Hyperallergic, The Globe and Mail, and The Washington Post. Mehra’s work is in numerous public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Global Affairs Canada; and the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. She is the recipient of the 2022 Sobey Art Award. Mehra lives and works in Seattle.

large_In Conversation - Aruna D'Souza and Divya Mehra portraits - Fall 2024 cropped.jpg

medium_In Conversation - Aruna D'Souza and Divya Mehra portraits - Fall 2024 cropped.jpg

small_In Conversation - Aruna D'Souza and Divya Mehra portraits - Fall 2024 cropped.jpg

thumbnail_In Conversation - Aruna D'Souza and Divya Mehra portraits - Fall 2024 cropped.jpg

In Conversation - Aruna D'Souza and Divya Mehra portraits - Fall 2024 cropped.jpg

Aruna D’Souza & Divya Mehra

In Conversation

Exhibitions

Talks & Events