Ian Wallace (artist)


Ian Wallace is a Canadian artist, living and working in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wallace has been an influential figure in the development of an internationally acknowledged photographic and conceptual art practice in Vancouver since 1965.

Artistic practice

Wallace has exhibited painting and photography nationally and internationally since 1965. He is known for juxtaposing monochrome painting and photography in a way that problematizes the differences between the two mediums, referencing aesthetic and social issues through themes of the studio, the museum and the street.

Education and teaching

Wallace taught Art History at the University of British Columbia from 1967 to 1970, and then at the Vancouver School of Art from 1972 to 1998, where he taught a contemporary art course titled Art Now that was one of the earliest to introduce the art of the recent past into the art history curriculum. As a professor, he has had a significant role in shaping the contemporary art scene and advised artist, such as Kelly Wood. Through his emphasis on the importance of a knowledge of art history, his support for visiting artist programs, and his progressive courses that examined the common history of various media including film, photography, and painting, Wallace influenced a generation of artists emerging from the Vancouver scene, including members of the so-called Vancouver School of artists, Jeff Wall, Ken Lum, Stan Douglas, Roy Arden and Rodney Graham.

Awards

In 2004, Wallace received a Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.
He was also named an Officer of the Order of Canada, second highest honour for merit, in December 2012.

Gallery