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The �IJ���APP Art Gallery presents the visionary work of Canadian painter, Josh Tiessen.

Josh Tiessen’s paintings invite you to enter fantastical worlds – first for the pleasure of roaming their speculative spaces, then to find yourself engaging Tiessen’s deeply symbolic structures. Teeming with wild creatures, animated by solitary questing figures, these vibrant paintings are also populated by cultural critique, environmental engagement, and the quest for God’s wisdom.

Opening Reception
Thursday, September 12, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Includes a book/CD launch. Light refreshments included.

Artist Talk
Monday, October 7, at 11:00 a.m.
Hosted in �IJ���APP’s Executive Dining Room (EDR).

Closing Arts Event
Thursday, November 7, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Celebrate the end of the exhibition with music, poetry and an artist talk.

Our world, saturated in knowledge and data, remains parched for wisdom. Tiessen’s work suggests a way out of our mirror-world of confusion by turning, imaginatively, to a pair of Biblical characters: Qohelet, the teacher of Ecclesiastes fame, and Sophia, or Lady Wisdom, who is featured in Proverbs.

The Vanitas paintings depict Qohelet on his quest for wisdom. We join him as he samples our obsessions with power, pleasure, wealth, and knowledge – only to find ourselves mired in the futility of “chasing after the wind.” The bleak landscapes reflect our ecological context, characterized by extraction and self-interest.

The Viriditas paintings depict Sophia on a parallel quest of connection and care. The term Viriditas means “greening,” a term that medieval mystic and artist Hildegard von Bingen used to describe a Divine oriented lushness, growth, and healing. Her humble journey through wondrous landscapes, and encounters with wild creatures, equips her to bring unity and restoration to our fractured culture.  

As Qohelet and Sophia meet face to face, we are left to consider our own lives, assumptions, and our role in the quest for wisdom.

is an international award-winning contemporary artist based in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Tiessen is best known for his hyper-surreal, shaped oil paintings, which take up to 1700 hours to complete, and reflect the interaction between the natural world and human-made structures, drawing upon his studies in philosophy, theology and environmentalism.