Hooked rugs, an old white couch and feminist aliens

With the season’s rain and snow alternating between gross and grosser, Haligonians are forced indoors. Luckily, all four of the university galleries in the city have new exhibitions opening in January to prevent the onset of cabin fever.

SMU’s art gallery showcases a nod to the graphic novel.

Mathew Reichertz ‘s exhibition Garbage emulates a comic book. Walking into the gallery, the large-scale images guide viewers through the life size graphic work.

“The story is based around a large piece of garbage that shows up in front of the protagonist’s house,” says Reichertz.

Though he draws from personal experience living in the North End of Halifax, Reichertz explains the scenes depicting a dispute over an old white couch are fictitious and represent the universality of neighbourhood. Everyone living in a large city has to deal with garbage.

In the adjacent gallery, XO Planet showcases the work of Emily Davidson. Drawing from a work-in-progress graphic novel, the comic series of panels depict an alien from the feminist XO Planet who comes to earth and is baffled by what she’s found.

Both shows, curated by Robin Metcalfe, began January 9 with an opening reception.

Two exhibitions are on view at MSVU’s art gallery beginning January 10. Beautiful Illusions features Nova Scotian artists Melanie Colosimo and Charley Young presenting motifs of memory, transition and trace imagery. With drawing as their primary medium, the artists delve into other techniques like casting and monoprinting.

Colosimo and Young join Joanna Close’s exhibition Prospect 17 which opened December 13. Close’s rug hookings are reminiscent of traditional maritime works.

The reception for both shows is Saturday January 17 from 2pm to 4pm.

NSCAD’s Anne Leonowens Gallery reopens January 12. The gallery will shake things up weekly with new exhibitions showcasing undergraduate exhibitors, MFA students and visiting artists.

The new year kicks off with undergraduate exhibitors Morgan Orcutt, Frankie Macaulay, Meghan Ross and Marley Johnson who show their pieces in the bright Granville Street gallery from January 13 to 17.

Receptions to celebrate the weekly art shows at the Anne Leonowens Gallery are 5:30pm to 7pm every Monday.

At Dalhousie University, a collaboration celebrates the human body beginning January 16. Anatomica juxtaposes contemporary art with historical imagery of anatomy and conceptualizes the human body beneath the skin.

Curated by Cindy Stelmackowich the exhibition highlights textures of the body through sewing, knitting and sculpting, as well as drawing and painting by Lyn Carter, Maura Doyle, Garry Neill Kennedy, Kaisu Koski, Maskull Lasserre, Lucy Lyons, Sarah Maloney, Lisa Nilsson and Howie Tsui.

The historical pieces accompanying the contemporary works feature rare body maps and teaching models from the special collections at Killam library.

The opening reception for Anatomica is January 15 at 8pm.