Vanessa Brown

Vanessa Brown works in sculpture, video, and installation. Her practice involves transmitting her subjective experiences through specific materials, particularly those with rich histories such as metal and glass, that offer a hands-on relationship to craft. Informed by research, Brown creates work that reconsiders historical uses of these materials to create new unanticipated affiliations, thereby pushing the boundaries of their traditional uses.

Her practice is centered on the body—its presence, needs, and sensory experiences in space—explored through the lenses of clothing, adornment, and tactility. Recent projects investigate how grief, ritual, and transcendence manifest in material culture and architecture, weaving elements of healing, protection, and craft to evoke presence, care, and awe.

Vanessa Brown has exhibited internationally at institutions including (selection): CAC Passages (FR), Centre National de l’Audiovisuel (LU), gr_und, (DE), The Esker Foundation (CAN), LIAR (USA), The Richmond Art Gallery (CAN), Artpace (USA), The Armory (USA), and Vancouver Art Gallery (CAN). Her work has been featured in Elle Magazine, Monopol, RTL Artbox, Berlin Art Link, Border Crossings, Der Taggespielgel, Canadian Art, and Wall Street International. She has completed three public art projects within the City of Vancouver on xʷməθkʷəy’əm, səlilwətaɬ, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh land.