The Chromophiliacs

Curator Zoë Chan of the Richmond Art Gallery has assembled a group exhibition of 10 local and international artists working in and through a variety of media and cultural practices, with an emphasis on colour. The title is an antidotal, if not dialectical, response to David Batchelor’s book Chromophobia (2000), in which the Scottish-born artist and writer argues how “in the West, since Antiquity, colour has been systematically marginalized,
reviled, diminished and degraded.”

Among the works featured are Moozhan Ahmadzadegan’s screen print Ruth Paul’s Drag Race: Iran (2025), in which the artist extends the 13th-century Persian miniature painting style to include a show-stopping drag sequence that, in Ahmadzadegan’s homeland, would have its contestants arrested, if not worse. For Ovoid Soundings (2022–24), Charlene Vickers presents an equally colourful wall-mounted murmuration of felted “hybrid ovoids.” At the gallery entrance is a futuristic title wall by Cuban artist Yaimel López Zaldívar, who has contributed an experimental artist’s book, entitled Ciudad, as well.

Also included are works by Diyan Achjadi and Jan Wade, with commissions by Maru Aponte, Sandeep Johal, Laura Meza Orozco, Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo and Malina Sintnicolaas.

As with past exhibitions here, visitors have a bounty of public programs to choose from. There is a papermaking workshop led by Maru Aponte (Feb 16, 12 to 4 pm), an exhibition tour in Mandarin (Feb 21, 2 to 3 pm), an artist talk and workshop with Charlene Vickers (Feb 28, 1 to 3 pm) and an artist talk with Jan Wade, to be held at Emily Carr University’s Reliance Theatre (March 30, 5 pm).

Art & Cocktails x Curated Tastes, April 4, 1–4pm, 19+, includes exhibition tour, $60

richmondartgallery.org