The Okanagan

Abstract

The Okanagan is a sculpture, drawing and installation-based thesis exhibition that uses the Early Sunrise peach as both a motif and material to explore the emotional impact of separation, distance, and the longing for connection. Through tactile and fragile forms, including felted peaches, porcelain peach pits, and charcoal stains, the works examine the complexities of intimacy, absence, and the passage of time. The unruly nature of the peach—its softness, messiness, and inevitable decay—mirrors the impermanent nature of emotional closeness. This exhibition presents a landscape that evokes the disintegration of intimacy and the rawness of yearning, inviting viewers to reflect on their experiences of presence, absence, and connection. Through the scale and materiality of the work, The Okanagan engages with the embodied nature of longing and the profound impact of separation.