About the exhibition

Michelle Biggar’s art practice is an exploration of the structured and the organic, the rigid and the soft, the free gestures of the hand and the precision of geometry – bringing these concepts together in a layered mixed-media expression that combines the tactile qualities of paper and thread into balanced compositions.

“I am interested in the quiet order and movement created through the use of repetition, grid patterns and pure geometry.” —Michelle Biggar

The circular form is prominent in Michelle’s works. Here, pure circular shapes are dissected, manipulated and recreated, in a quest for harmony, unity and new types of perfection.

Colour is presented as fields of emotive qualities. Layers of coloured papers are held together with sewing thread – embroidered by hand or machine-stitched – exhibiting the gestures of the process.

Macro and micro scales are considered during the creation of the pieces, where circular studies are created as singular units or conceived in multiples and organized into grids.

Through her works, Michelle explores and defines a unique language of abstract geometry and tactile play.

Complete—a quest for wholeness and the freedom between the lines is curated by Anabella Alfonzo and co-produced by Aartplace and Propellor.

About Michelle

Originally from Queensland, Australia, Michelle Biggar is a visual artist living and working in Vancouver, BC, Canada. After completing a Bachelor of Built Environment, majoring in Interior Design, at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia; and with a prolific 25-year career as an Interior Designer, Michelle’s art practice is born as a territory for the exploration of expressive freedom within the structures and geometries that dominate her work.

About Propellor

Propellor is an independent, Vancouver based multi-disciplinary design studio led by Nik Rust, Pamela Goddard and Toby Barratt. They thrive on the challenge of creating useful, beautiful and ecologically minded objects and experiences. Their work spans a broad range of disciplines from lighting and furniture design to spatial design and sculpture.

There are threads that run through all of their work – an interest in nature, its forms and systems, a passion for exploring materials, function and aesthetics and a desire to make things that will last well into the future.

Propellor's welcoming space located in Vancouver’s Granville Island serves as their studio, a showroom for their design collections and sculptural pieces, and a street-front gallery space showcasing the works of a stellar selection of local artists and creators.