Gutters Are Elastic is a group exhibition that takes an expanded view on what comics and graphic novels can be: amorphous and empowering things that don’t sit still. This project sees the gutter (the space between the frames in a comic) as a generative site of possibilities where readers insert their own perspectives. This elastic gutter centers the margins, while stretching the story off the page and into the physical space of the Gallery. From ceramic busts to narratives unfolding on handmade quilts, artworks that reference or are inspired by comics and graphic novels across a wide range of media will be included in the show. The exhibition features artists from diverse backgrounds and perspectives including Sonny Assu, Shary Boyle, Whess Harman, bailey macabre, Cole Pauls, Jillian Tamaki, Momoko Usami & Joshua W. Cotter, and Ronald Wimberly.

The exhibition space will include a workshop, a gallery reading area, and a newsstand for local DIY comics and artists’ editions. Friday lunchtime tours are available for this exhibition.

Nanaimo Art Gallery is open Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays 12 to 5 pm. Closed Mondays. Admission is by donation.

Image: Shary Boyle
The Porcelain Figurine (detail), 2006
Watercolour and ink on paper
Original comic artwork for Kramers Ergot 6
Image courtesy of the artist