Hib Sabin: The Long Game

August

Opening Reception: First Thursday July 6th, 6-8pm

Hib Sabin (Non-Indigenous) returns with a body of work that considers ideas about age in a world where youth is lauded, applauded, and sought after with almost religious fervor. Now in his 80s, Sabin turns his critical eye and dexterous carving hand upon himself, with work that reflects upon the process of aging, the need for nostalgia and review of the past, and the fearlessness of the future. For the first time we will be  offering Sabin’s original concept sketches to purchase. Every major sculpture Sabin carves begins as a pencil sketch, whether a rough outline or a shaded and fully-realized drawing.

An exhibit catalog will be produced for this show, in both print and digital forms.

“The Long Game” speaks to our desire to be a part of ‘the game’ for as long as possible, until a point is reached where we come to realize the time for games–for playing around, for wasting time–is past. Sabin was deeply inspired by Leonard Cohen’s final album, released in 2016 just a month before his death at 82, in which Cohen makes multiple mentions of “leaving the table, being out of the game”. What does it mean to leave the table, to fold the cards and seek out a different game, a different table, and new players? What kind of sight does it take to peer beyond the pool of light on the table and see something out there?

What are the opportunities that close to us when we make decisions, and what happens when the “Road Not Taken” is passed by? Where are the crux points in our lives, and are they the ones we think they are when faced with them? What is the job of an artist in his older years, and how does he both reflect the world and his own truths? The works in this exhibition discuss these themes using the characters Sabin has become famous for: Owl, Raven, Raptor, Human, Bear, and more.

Exhibition Dates: