A talented young artist from Estevan is among those whose artwork is currently on display at the University of Regina (U of R).
Zack Jocelyn is part of the introspective, virtual exhibition named Self, which opened Jan. 18 and will continue until Feb. 12 at The Fifth Parallel Gallery.
Jocelyn, a third-year visual arts student at the U of R, has contributed five well-sized acrylic paintings that have the theme of himself and trying to rediscover who he is.
“They’re very hard to explain immediately. They range from my personal experiences. I came out of a toxic … friendship a few years ago. I basically found myself down in the dumps, so I made these artworks to help pull myself out of the dumps somewhat,” said Jocelyn.
The submissions turned out great. People have connected to the works, even though he admits they are strange and weird.
Acrylic painting, drawing and printmaking are his preferred artistic mediums.
Most of the people who are part of the show are individuals that Jocelyn has connected with previously, and he’s been getting to know the others he didn’t know.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s an online exhibit, and people will have to go to the gallery’s Facebook or Instragram accounts to see a recorded tour, photographs and more.
Jocelyn noted the Fifth Parallel is a student-run gallery.
“Every once in a while, they try to get shows going for students involved, and I just heard about it, because being an arts student myself, it was very easy to get into that,” said Jocelyn.
This is not the first time that Jocelyn has had his work in an exhibition. When he was 13 years old and in high school, he was part of the Adjudicated Art Show organized by the Estevan Arts Council.
It gave him a good experience of what it was like to be in a gallery setting.
“It introduced me to how to talk about my art in front of other people,” said Jocelyn. “It started to introduce me to other people.”
In a video posted to the Fifth Parallel’s YouTube page, he said the work that got his submissions going was the self-depictions of his blessings and his sins. When he started it, he was taking a step back and looking at things that he had done that were hurting him at the time.
Another work can be taken as pro-religion or anti-religion, or even both, depending on which way the viewer decides to take it.
“I really like the perspective and the perfection of all this, but I really want to destroy it, too,” he said. “So these flat shapes and the cubes are always being challenged by some weird, ideological situation.”
He has found new things about himself, and he doesn’t know where it’s going, and that’s why this is an ongoing series.
Information for the exhibition says Self is an introspective exhibition inspired by the ideas of self-reflection and inner monologues.
It also features the works of Holly Aubichon, Tenille Bryan, Michelle Markatos, Yvonne Niegas, William Stoudt and Sabine Wecker.
For a video of Jocelyn’s exhibition from the Fifth Parralel Gallery, please visit www.estevanmercury.ca.
