Josh Hite: A Vista

Josh Hite: A Vista documents a performance of the same name which took place at New Westminster’s Massey Theatre in 2019, one of Canada’s few remaining theatres with a classical hemp house rigging system (most theatres now use motorized systems). The Massey Theatre becomes the stage for an ever-changing sequence of painted theatrical backdrops—an attempt to partner with the theatre’s collective movement possibilities and limits. In Hite’s multimedia artwork, the labour that ordinarily marks a transition between scenes becomes the star of the show.

In the artwork, which consists of three separate recordings of the performance over three nights, viewers encounter the Massey Theatre’s history of performance through choreographed arrangements of theatrical backdrop: standard backdrops, which traverse the entirety of the stage; ‘cut’ drops, which feature a central portal or arch through which actors enter and exit; and ‘leg’ drops, smaller painted elements isolated from other parts of the stage. The backdrops are continually unfurled, raised, and lowered by Hite’s collaborators in the Fight With a Stick Performance company. These gestures of concealment and revelation would ordinarily not be seen by audiences. 

Josh Hite: A Vista joins the Gallery’s other Winter exhibitions, including un/tangling, un/covering, un/doing (January 20 – March 17, 2024), a foray into the many meanings of hair and the rituals associated with it, and Art by Surrey Elementary School Students (February 3 – April 21, 2024), a showcase of the creative talents of local students. The Winter Opening and Panel Discussion takes place on February 9.

Curator: Rhys Edwards
Origin of Exhibition: Surrey Art Gallery