Canadian Painter Julie Wyn Summerfield Responds to Refugee Crisis

Amsterdam, Netherlands (MMD Newswire) February 15, 2016 — Canadian painter Julie Wyn Summerfield has had enough of the refugee crisis in the Aegean.

“After ten years as a homeowner on the island, I know the places and some of the people that are involved,” she says. “Every day I wake up hoping that the situation has improved. And everyday it gets worse. “

Summerfield’s response to the ongoing tragedy comes through her art. “I have tried to help in other ways, and I know that every bit counts, but I needed to get involved in a deeper way. I needed to commit my art to the situation.”

After leaving Canada for Paris in 1991, Ms. Summerfield has lived and painted in Amsterdam since 2008. Her new series in memory of those who have lost their lives in the crisis will be presented in the upcoming group show “Remembering” at the Expocafe Zamen in Amsterdam.

The show presents the work of three contemporary Amsterdam artists working in different mediums: sculptor Eric Don, photographer Murray Lemley, and Ms. Summerfield.

Not normally a political artist, Summerfield has spent long periods on subjects such as the human body and landscapes, focusing on light and mood without pursuing realism. But the ongoing drama in the Aegean was too powerful to ignore.

“How can we sit by and not do anything to help?” she asks. So to help raise awareness she is painting her sorrow and anger onto canvas.

Now she alternates her time between Amsterdam, Lesbos, and Canada. “I would love to spend much more time on that beautiful island: I have wonderful friends there, and the light, the sea, and the natural beauty are huge inspirations for me.”

She has exhibited in Eressos in the 1st International Art Fair of Lesvos, in Amsterdam, and in Paris. Her work is in private collections in China, the United States, Canada, and across Europe. Most recently, she has published a book of her work, Julie Summerfield: 1+1=3.

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"Remembering" March 5 - 27, 2016

Expocafe Zamen Zamenhofstraat 150 1022 AG Amsterdam Noord

Hours 10:00 – 17:00, Monday – Sunday

Exhibition opening on 5th March from 16:00 to 19:00

For information, please contact julie@juliesummerfield.com.

A portion of Julie Summerfield’s proceeds from the show, including book sales, will be donated to the network of volunteers helping on Lesbos.