Opening Reception: Thursday, September 5, 6–8 p.m.
Meet the Artists: Sunday, September 8, 2–3 p.m.
Mandarin Art Tour: Sunday, September 15, 3 p.m.
Artist Presentation: From Landscape to Abstract: An Artist’s Journey by Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki: Saturday, September 21, 1–2 p.m.

The Ferry Building Gallery is proud to announce fragment/connect featuring Tatjana Mirkov-Popvicki’s abstract landscapes and Russell Hackney’s ceramics.

Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki, through a visual language of observation and recollection, seeks to reconcile her relationship with the disparate places she calls home: Serbia, which she left as a young adult, and Canada, where she now lives. Tatjana's collage-like abstract landscapes render complex spatial fields using close-ups, cross-sections, and aerial views to communicate the subjective feeling of a place.

Russell Hackney’s embossed porcelain pieces explore the theme of “connection” within the context of our time-limited existence. His muted pieces encourage viewers to cherish their time on earth and connect with all living things, whether it be to mothers, loved partners, or nature. Hackney finds inspiration for his work during his quiet moments walking the forest trails of Bowen Island.

Artist Bios

Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki is an award-winning Canadian visual artist and storyteller based in British Columbia, having emigrated from Serbia in 1994. Her body of work, comprising abstract and landscape paintings, expresses ideas of the homeland. She lives in Port Moody on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the Kwikwetlem, Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Squamish, Katzie, Kwantlen, Qayqayt, and Sto:lo Peoples, and extends appreciation for the opportunity to reside on this territory.

Tatjana is a candidate in the Master of Fine Arts graduate studies program at Emily Carr University, class of 2025. Her work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions across western Canada, including Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Michael Wright Art Gallery, Silk Purse Gallery, Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, and Gibsons Public Art Gallery. She has received awards from the Federation of Canadian Artists, the Canadian Institute of Portrait Painters, and the International Society of Acrylic Painters. Her art has been published in the International Artist Magazine, Visionary Arts Magazine, and Canadian Arabella Magazine. Additionally, she has been juried into the Glacier National Park’s Art in the Park residency and the Pacific Northwest Plein Air by the Maryhill Art Museum in Washington, USA.

Tatjana has been actively involved in the art community through various arts councils across Greater Vancouver and the Federation of Canadian Artists, where she served as President on the Board of Directors. She holds the designation of Senior Signature Artist (SFCA) and is an Honorable Lifetime Member.
 

Russell Hackney was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, and is currently based on Bowen Island. Coming from a long line of master ceramicists, Russell's grandfather spent most of his life working in a pottery factory (Potbank), and his father modeled and made molds at various factories, including Portmerion. His father later transitioned to teaching and started his own company, Brunswick Ceramic Services. At 16, Russell joined the family business as his father's apprentice.

In 2002, seeking adventure and the opportunity to expand his personal artistic expression, Russell and his wife Wendy immigrated to Canada and started Russell Hackney Ceramics. Today, in his Vancouver studio, Russell produces signature collections of ceramics, personal works, custom designs, and provides mold-making services.

He is known for his embossed porcelain work, inspired by a deep connection to nature and the role of people within the cultural environment. Russell uses a technique called slip casting to create his pieces, allowing for the modeling of fine detail in hard plaster, which is then refined at the bisque stage (after the first firing). Russell holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Three-Dimensional Design.