Bold, breathtaking or brutal – there's no denying that the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is a building looking out to challenge. Only built in 2010, it seems to explode out of the street corner of downtown Edmonton, in a jumble of angled glass and curving steel. The idea behind its striking design was to evoke the clash between Edmonton's straight-line geometry and the flowing lines of the Aurora Borealis.
Controversial when it was built, it has already proven popular, with the number of visitors coming to ogle the Art Gallery's unique design – and the equally ground-breaking art housed inside – ramping up. The 7,897 square metres of floor space is dominated by a continuous whirl of exhibits, showcasing contemporary and modern art. Many of these works of art are local, but much else has come from abroad – the AGA has done a great job of bringing travelling exhibitions into Edmonton.
The AGA has been around, in one form or another, since 1924. Over the years, it has gradually built up its collection, with new premises sought each time the numbers swelled. The new AGA building is hoped to be a final solution to those lack-of-space woes. But it doesn't just act as a holding place for 6,000 works of art, which range from paintings and sculptures, to installations and photographs. The new art gallery is designed to launch art into the wider Edmonton community.
In addition to its three floors of exhibition space, the AGA has a 150-seat theatre for displaying cinematic and performance works, and a centre for art education, bringing schools in for an immersive artistic experience. You can take art home with you after visiting the art rental and sales galleries. There are even art workshops, encouraging you to tap into your creative side.
The AGA, it seems, wants to enthral, engage and excite you on your visit – not simply present art at you. And should you tire of the hard work of pondering and interacting with its many exhibits, refreshments are to be had at the superb Zinc Restaurant or Terrace Café. Food for thought and food for the plate both excel at the AGA.
