Call to Submit: 2026 Booooooom Illustration Awards
Painting

Artist Spotlight: Russna Kaur

A selection of work from Vancouver-based artist Russna Kaur (previously featured here). Kaur completed her BA at the University of Waterloo and MFA at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Her upcoming exhibition with the Art Gallery of Burlington presents new works rooted in personal history, while charting new territory.

“Been there twice, haven’t got there yet (the space behind a thin screen, and prying eyes)” creates an environment that disrupts, reframes, and reorients. Kaur engages in a playful interrogation of material with wood panels, mesh, canvas, and metal all layered and clamped together—revealing, in a sense, the “scaffolding” of the work. Her paintings are also saturated with personal references and memories: the saris from her mother’s Indian bridal boutique and the patterns of rangolis. Colour here is not just about beauty; it’s about deception—concealing the pain and disorientation of complex cultural negotiations.

“Been there twice, haven’t got there yet (the space behind a thin screen, and prying eyes)” will be on display in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery starting September 20th and will run until January 4th, 2026.

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