When I think of A-list birthday gifts I've received, an amazing dinner or perhaps a treasured piece of jewelry come to mind. For the upcoming 150th birthday of our country, Chali-Rosso Gallery is shattering the ceiling of any gift I could dream up by gifting Vancouver 150 days with one of Salvador Dali’s most famed sculptures: Dance of Time I. The seven-foot-tall bronze masterpiece will be publicly unveiled this weekend at its new home at West Hastings and Hornby streets; the iconic melting clock – arguably one of Dali’s most recognizable representations – will remain on public display in our city until September, marking its inaugural visit to Canada.
The gallery’s initiative, entitled Definitely Dali, hosted a media preview of the sculpture and the more than 100 other original Dali works it has brought to Vancouver as part of the exhibition. Gallery owner and curator Susanna Strem has brought her passion for both the past and the future of art together by partnering with local not-for-profit arts education centre, Arts Umbrella, for the Definitely Dali project.
At the preview, young artists Ava Simard and Sebine Fedder – both students of Arts Umbrella since early childhood – were present and working on live drawing some of Dali’s masterpieces, showcasing their own artistic talents. Both girls charmed the attendees with their ability to interpret the works of Dali, and also shared how art, and Arts Umbrella, have shaped their lives and artistic futures. For the duration of Definitely Dali, public donations and partial proceeds of Chalio-Rosso gallery sales will be donated to Arts Umbrella to help fund the future masters of our city.
This isn’t the first time the clock sculpture had a date with a major metropolitan city, though. Dance of Time I has previously graced the streets of Paris, Beverly Hills, Shanghai, Mexico City and numerous other global hotspots in similar public displays, all generously donated by The Stratton Institute. The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of culture and the arts, and which possesses the world’s largest collection of Dali’s monumental sculptures.
Vancouver now joins the list of temporary homes of the sculpture thanks to Chalio-Rosso Gallery. In reflection of her gallery’s gift to Vancouver, Strem shares, “Dali had a fascinating relationship with time and memory… As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, Canadians may reflect on our history, the passing of time, and our future. The Dance of Time l sculpture, in the shape of a melting watch, challenges us to think about the nature of time – past, current and present.”
