Kristina Chan: Habitable Climes

The Sunderland Collection is delighted to announce the second edition of its acclaimed Art Programme, culminating in an exhibition of new works by Kristina Chan at the Canada House Gallery, London.

The Collection is honoured to be collaborating with The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom on the exhibition, and grateful for its support.

The mandate of the Canada House Gallery, as part of the High Commission, is to offer a welcoming, accessible space that projects Canadian values and supports Government of Canada key priorities, primarily through culture.

The Sunderland Collection is delighted to announce the second edition of its acclaimed Art Programme, culminating in an exhibition of new works by Kristina Chan inspired by maps and atlases from the collection.

Habitable Climes will show at Canada House from 12 March to 30 April 2025. A parallel online exhibition will launch on 12 March 2025 here on Oculi Mundi. The Sunderland Collection Art Programme, is curated by contemporary art expert Beth Greenacre.

During these trips, she experienced extremes in landscapes and climatic conditions which inspired a feeling of “awe and caution”. She reflected on the subjective concept of ‘fact’ when it comes to recording territories, and the part that what she refers to as “fantasy and fallacy” plays in the creation of maps, measurements and visual records.

Chan’s expedition to the Arctic, for example, was through a shifting landscape in which islands and markers are unrecorded due to their remoteness and to the changing landscape, beyond the reach of contemporary navigation tools.

A pair of large-scale photographic composites, each arranged over eight panels, is central to the exhibition. Referencing the panoramic form of two rare 19th century Chinese maps in The Sunderland Collection - the "Blue China" world and sky maps, the works Polar Day and Polar Opposite, represent Chan’s reflections on the terrestrial and the celestial, and her evolving thoughts around the nature of interpretation and fact in image-making.

Other new works to be shown in Habitable Climes include a series of 16 etchings entitled Impossible Measures. For these works, Chan photographed a selection of historical instruments held in the Royal Geographical Society’s collection, including sextants belonging to Charles Darwin and Dr Livingstone. These Victorian tools were photographed behind frosted glass, and the resulting visual abstraction adds to the sense that their accuracy and meaning has blurred over time.

In a further five large-scale prints, Chan responds to the notion of dividing the planet into ‘habitable climes’ that is illustrated in the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, a 1603 atlas by Abraham Ortelius held in The Sunderland Collection.

According to a theory first described by Aristotle, the Earth was thought to have five climes: two habitable, ‘temperate’ climes, two ‘frigid’ zones and a ‘torrid’, hot zone. The artist represents these climes in lushly coloured works, choosing images that prompt further enquiry, such as a seemingly wild tropical climate which is in fact a photograph taken at Kew Gardens in London. Thus, the viewer is confronted with the question of whether an ostensibly authoritative image is factual or interpretative; and is reminded of how environments – climes – can change over time.

“Nature deserves to keep its mystery, and we deserve to be amazed by it,” says Chan. “In the desert, I photographed a prehistoric-seeming crater of dust which was once a lake, and in the Arctic I encountered a vast and empty-seeming landscape which was in fact teeming with life. I hope that this exhibition will inspire curiosity, enjoyment and perhaps even new questions about exploration itself.”

The Hon. Ralph E. Goodale PC, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom said: “The Habitable Climes exhibition at Canada House is a remarkable showcase of our country's artistic talent and cultural heritage. Kristina Chan's work, inspired by objects from The Sunderland Collection, beautifully captures the essence of exploration and the ever-changing landscapes of our world. In many ways, Chan's photographic project connects with Canada's dedication to protecting the environment and the Arctic alongside the Indigenous peoples who were the first stewards of this land and water. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving these remote territories for future generations. We're thrilled to collaborate with The Sunderland Collection on this exhibition."

A parallel online exhibition for Habitable Climes will be available from 12 March, on Oculi-Mundi.com. Watch this space!

If you would like a full List of Artworks for the exhibition, please Contact Us.