Ryan Josey, 3 Works opens at Eltuek Arts Centre

SYDNEY, N.S. – Eltuek Arts Centre is pleased to present Ryan Josey, 3 Works, the Dartmouth-born artist’s first solo exhibition in ten years. Opening Friday, June 26 from 6–8 pm, the reception will feature a special drink menu from Café Marie.

The exhibition brings together three distinct works that integrate painting, photography, sculpture, and installation, offering a multifaceted reflection on connection, division, memory, and transmission across generations. Presented in conjunction with Channeling, a group exhibition curated by Pan Wendt at Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, PE, Ryan Josey, 3 Works marks an important return for Josey and introduces new work created specifically for Eltuek Arts Centre.

The exhibition features:

• Silences for Foucault (2018), a series of oil paintings responding to the life and writings of French philosopher Michel Foucault;
• Forbidden Colours Redux (after FTG) (2026), a reimagining of Félix González-Torres’ 1988 work Forbidden Colors;
• An Extraordinary Distance From The Sun(2026), a new site-specific installation created for Eltuek Arts Centre.

Composed of hundreds of digital photographs arranged directly on the gallery’s windows and walls, An Extraordinary Distance From The Sun extends a recurring motif throughout Josey’s practice: the checkered grid. For the artist, the grid reflects the human tendency to establish boundaries, divide territory, and reduce the complexity of the world into maps, systems, and categories.

Together, the three works reflect on the consequences of our divisive tendencies while honouring the transmission of knowledge across generations — the horizons we share, the entanglements that join us, and the places and experiences that connect us.

“Josey’s exhibition marks a first for Eltuek, with an extended installation period in the gallery — offering a chance for the work to settle into and transform the space over many days,” says Melissa Kearney, Curator at Eltuek Arts Centre. “We are excited to have him here, sharing his generous presence with us. One work of the three — An Extraordinary Distance From The Sun — sings of summer; of sun-warmed skin, glossy waters, and the palpable weight of warmth and familiarity of the season. But the exhibition has depth and entanglements and holds a central concern of Josey’s practice: how to continue to harness intent and love.”

Ryan Josey is a visual artist whose interdisciplinary practice is grounded in philosophical inquiry and observational practice, and whose work explores belonging, identity, and connection, often examining how systems, languages, and technologies shape our understanding of place. Since graduating from NSCAD in 2015, his work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally, including in Turkey, New York, and Finland. Josey lives and works in Halifax.

Ryan Josey, 3 Works, like all exhibitions and arts programming at Eltuek Arts Centre, is free and open to the public. All are welcome. Gallery 203 is open Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm and Saturday’s from 9am-3pm. Evenings and weekends on request.

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EXHIBITION DETAILS:

ABOUT ELTUEK ARTS CENTRE

Eltuek (el·du·ehg) is a Mi’kmaw word that means “We are making (it) together.” The (it) refers to whatever it is (we) decide to make – a meal, a conversation, a painting, or a poem. Art, community, social change. We do it together. The name, Eltuek, was shared by the Eltuek Elder Advisors, with the intent that Eltuek Arts Centre is accessible, inclusive, and continuous.

Eltuek Arts Centre, an artist-led creative arts hub in North End Sydney, opened in February 2020 in the former Holy Angels Convent, ca. 1885. It features private artist studios, an Open Studio for shared artist workspaces, gallery and exhibition space, Cafe Marie and Meals on Wheels, arts and community organizations, and creative gathering and event spaces for the community. The 130-year-old building is the largest adaptive reuse of built heritage in Unama’ki, Cape Breton Island, and now stands as a symbol of hope and renewal for a community that has struggled for more than 40 years to reinvent itself after the decline of the coal and steel industries.

Eltuek Arts Centre is a non-profit arts organization that is owned and operated by New Dawn Enterprises.

ABOUT NEW DAWN

New Dawn is a private, not-for-profit, volunteer-directed social enterprise dedicated to community building. We are the oldest Community Development Corporation in Canada and a founding member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network. Our Mission, to engage the community to create a culture of self-reliance, is as relevant today as it was when the organization was founded back in 1976.

Today, New Dawn continues to focus on self-reliance, resilience, and community-led transformation. Every day, we engage thousands of community members and employ over 150 Cape Bretoners through programs and services that are practical, creative, and grounded in care. Our work spans health and social care, housing, the arts, youth and family services, immigration, and community development. Some of these services generate revenue, which we reinvest into our organization — fueling sustainability and deepening community impact.