Wanda Koop is one of Canada’s most distinguished and inventive artists. Her painting and video career spans three decades and includes over 50 solo exhibitions. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the daughter of Russian Mennonite immigrants, Koop graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Art in 1973. She has travelled extensively, exhibiting in Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Japan, the USA, Italy (in conjunction with 2001 Venice Biennale) and most recently in India and China.
Koop has received numerous awards, including an induction to the Order of Canada in 2006. She received her Doctor of Letters from the University of Winnipeg in 2002 and recently from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in 2007. Koop is also known for her community work, particularly the founding of the successful Art City Project (1998), an art centre in Winnipeg that provides an opportunity for inner-city youth-at-risk to work with contemporary visual artists.
In 2010 the National Gallery of Canada and The Winnipeg Art Gallery will co-produce a 25-year survey of Koop’s work, along with an exhibition of current paintings. The subject of the exhibition is “nature vs. technology,” an ongoing theme she has explored throughout her career.
Recently, TIME Magazine listed Wanda as one of Canada’s best artists, along with Janet Cardiff, Jeff Wall and Michael Snow.
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