Early Dada Compost

Briar Craig, a printmaker who received the B.F.A. (Printmaking) at Queen’s University, in 1984 and the
M.V.A. (Printmaking) at the University of Alberta in1987. Briar has taught printmaking at the University level and exhibited his prints internationally for more than twenty-five years. From 2005-present, he is Associate Professor and Visual Arts Coordinator at UBC-O, Kelowna, BC.

The artist uses Dadaist methods to create prints, which combines words and image. These word and phrase pairings are created by chance to produce accidental poetry that appears nonsensical but contains provocative and evocative potential. Briar Craig’s UV cured silkscreen prints relies on viewers to access their own memories and knowledge to create a personal association and make their own interpretations of the artwork. This post-modernist approach of creating accidental poetry and making it the focus of his work allows Briar Craig to take advantage of the flexibility of printmaking.
The ability to combine techniques, material and imagery along with the use of repetition pairs perfectly with the artist’s intent.

Briar has had exhibitions in Poland, Japan, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Serbia, Bulgaria, New Zealand, China, Brazil, the United States, Japan, Estonia, etc .
In 2010 he placed second at the Open Studio Canadian Printmaking Awards in Toronto (one of his students placed first) and in 2012 was awarded second place at the Imprima 2012 – Mostra Internacional de Gravura, in Sobral, Brazil. One of his prints was awarded third prize at an international printmaking exhibition at the University of Northern Arizona and in 2013 he was awarded a Juror Selected Award at the North American Printmaking Biennial in Boston.