This book was published in 1985 by the Contemporary Art Gallery on the occasion of the first solo exhibition by Allyson Clay in Canada at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver from April 30 – May 25, 1985. Included is a foreword by curator Christine Elving and a catalogue essay by Russell Keziere.

thumbnail_Allyson-Clay-1-600x600.jpg

Allyson-Clay-1-600x600.jpg

thumbnail_Allyson-Clay-2-768x768.jpeg

Allyson-Clay-2-768x768.jpeg

thumbnail_Allyson-Clay-3-768x768.jpg

Allyson-Clay-3-768x768.jpg

thumbnail_Allyson-Clay-4-768x768.jpg

Allyson-Clay-4-768x768.jpg

Allyson Clay

Shonagh Adelman

The Contemporary Art Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by Shonagh Adelman and Allyson Clay. Adelman is based in Toronto and has produced a number of provocative exhibitions examining women's sexuality. The work she is exhibiting in Vancouver is from the series titled *Skindeep*. Clay lives and works in Vancouver and the work featured in this exhibition is from the series *Some places in the world a woman could walk* in which she addresses gender roles within relationships and the larger social fabric.

Although these two artists have not consciously worked in relation to each other, there are connections that create a curious dialogue between the two. Both incorporate aspects of photography, painting and text in their work. The texts present a voicing of women in contexts where they are not normally empowered participants; Adelman in terms of asserting sexuality and Clay in terms of inhabiting the urban environment. The imagery and text they employ are laden with ambiguity and place the viewer in a subjective position relative to who is speaking and how the text relates to the images.

This will be the first time that Adelman has exhibited in Vancouver. Her work has been exhibited at A Space, Toronto; Neutral Ground, Regina; Latitude 53, Edmonton; Mercer Union, Toronto; and YYZ, Toronto. Allyson Clay has exhibited widely across Canada including the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon; Edmonton Art Gallery; Costin & Klintworth, Toronto; and Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver.


Five artworks mounted on two gallery walls. Two of the pieces have red organic shapes on black background. The second piece from the right captures a figure that resembles a bent naked human torso.

thumbnail_02-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

02-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

Five artworks mounted on the gallery wall. Each of them has a black and white photograph of people or a cityscape accompanied by texts, either in black or red, written beside or over the photograph.

thumbnail_01-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

01-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

A photo of the installation view in the gallery. All of the five artworks mounted on the right-hand wall have black and white photographs accompanied by texts written beside or over the photographs.

thumbnail_03-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

03-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

Five photo pieces mounted on the gallery walls. Three of them are black and white, and the rest are colored; one depicts a naked woman holding her breasts, and the other depicts red organic shapes. 

thumbnail_04-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

04-ShonaghAdelman_AllysonClay-1995.jpeg

A photo of the installation view in the gallery. Seven photograph pieces are visible; five of them have dark backgrounds foregrounded by organic shapes. The rest are black and white photographs.

Allyson Clay

Related Exhibitions