Scott Saunders is a Canadian visual artist currently residing and working in Vancouver, British Columbia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2008 and later earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Simon Fraser University in 2017. Throughout his career, Scott's work has been prominently featured across Eastern Canada, with significant exhibitions at esteemed venues such as the Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery in Halifax, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Scott's artistic practice is distinguished by a diverse array of mediums and approaches, encompassing sculpture, painting, installation, performance, audio/video, electronics, and large-scale projections.
In addition to utilizing traditional gallery spaces, Scott ventures into more radical and alternative sites within the public realm, enabling his work to reach a broader audience and engage with various communities. This dual approach not only enhances the accessibility of his art but also fosters meaningful interactions between the work and its viewers, encouraging dialogue around the pressing social and political issues that inform his practice.
At the core of Scott's work lies a commitment to politically engaged activism that is both critically and socially conscious. He skillfully intertwines this commitment with formal and conceptual art strategies, techniques, and methodologies. His projects navigate the complexities of these dual positions with thoughtfulness, aiming to re-energize historical theories of allegory and dialectics within a contemporary, visual, and material-based practice.
By doing so, Scott invites viewers to reconsider the intricate relationships between art, society, and politics. His work fosters a deeper understanding of pressing social issues while encouraging active participation in the dialogue surrounding them.
Through his innovative and thought-provoking work, Scott Saunders continues to make significant contributions to the Canadian art scene, challenging audiences to reflect on their own experiences and the world around them.
I aspire to create politically engaged, socially conscious work that has the potential to positively impact my immediate environment while also maintaining critical relevance and aesthetic significance within the broader art world. This desire reflects the ethos of my generation—artists who have been raised, formally trained, and currently practice in a context that is largely distanced from the intense modernism and postmodernism debates that shaped cultural theory and art-making in the latter half of the twentieth century.
In this contemporary landscape, I believe it is essential for art to engage with pressing social issues and foster meaningful, critical dialogue. My work aims to bridge the gap between artistic expression and social responsibility, addressing the complexities of our time while remaining visually compelling. By doing so, I hope to resonate with audiences who seek not only aesthetic pleasure but also a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to a new narrative in the art world—one that prioritizes engagement, affect, storytelling and critical reflection, while also celebrating the transformative power of art to inspire change and foster community.