Vancouver 
Events Description
The Ferry Building Gallery is delighted to present Tam Irving’s Dimensions, an exhibition of work sitting at the intersection of colour, form, and perception—where the boundaries between painting, object, and optical experience begin to dissolve.
Long recognized as a master potter, Irving turns here to a broader visual language, extending his practice beyond function and into a sustained inquiry into the relationship between art and craft.
At the heart of the exhibition is a rigorous exploration of colour: its capacity to create tension or harmony, to advance or recede, to unsettle or resolve. Drawing on the legacy of colour field painters such as Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Irving examines how subtle shifts in hue and contrast can produce spatial effects.
This investigation is paired with an equally probing study of form. Circles are cut, folded, layered, and interrupted; vessels are reimagined and surfaces deceive. Objects that appear flat reveal themselves as dimensional, while others hover ambiguously between two and three dimensions. Irving approaches these transformations with the precision of a scientist, dissecting and reconstructing shapes to test their limits. The result is a playful yet exacting visual language, where perception itself becomes unstable.
The work draws from early 20th-century abstraction, particularly the structural clarity of Lyubov Popova and the Constructivist ethos of building compositions through colour and line. Echoes of Kazimir Malevich’s Suprematism and the spiritual minimalism of Hilma af Klint surface in Irving’s restrained yet deliberate use of form and palette. There are also resonances with the quiet, contemplative grids of Agnes Martin and the gestural freedom of Jackson Pollock, though Irving’s work remains distinctly his own, grounded in materiality and objecthood.
Tam Irving is the featured artist for the 2026 Harmony Arts Festival.
Who is it for?
All ages
HOW MUCH
Tickets : Free or by donation
How to get tickets?
At the door: Free or by donation
WHEN & WHERE
Date: Friday July 31, 2026 to Sunday August 30, 2026
Opening reception: Friday, July 31, 6–8 p.m.
Artist Talk with Tam Irving: Sunday, August 2, 12–1 p.m.
Venue & Address
Ferry Building Gallery, 1414 Argyle Avenue, West Vancouver
Wheelchair accessible
Free Parking
Street Parking
Paid Parking
Accessible by Public Transport
