Forest
Fern Helfand
October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Camille and David Saltman Gallery
Two and a half months after the anxiety and fear of the devastating wildfire of 2023 in West Kelowna, artist Fern Helfand entered the burned forest near her home. She encountered a topography transformed by this disaster and was struck by the paradoxical beauty of the charred trees. Their sculptural forms and stark tonal contrasts revealed a terrain that was evidence of ecological loss but also of rebirth and quiet resilience. In Forest, Helfand has observed the altered woodland as possessing unexpected visual complexity. With a combination of photography, moving imagery, and ceramic sculpture, she explores the uneasy coexistence of destruction and beauty while reflecting on our interconnected relationship with the natural environment.
Fern Helfand is a lens-based artist, ceramicist, and UBC Okanagan Professor Emeritus. She has an MFA from the University of Florida and a BA from York University. She has exhibited internationally and explores issues that address cultural observation and commentary, the environment, tourism, and the changing medium of photography itself. She lives and works in West Kelowna.
Friday, November 6 | 6 to 8 pm
Saturday, October 3 | 10 am
Image: Fern Helfand, November 2, 2023, 2023/2026, photograph. Courtesy of the artist.
