The photographer and artist Michelle Leone Huisman discusses her exhibit Vapes & Butts (06 May-06 June 2026, Gallery 881), with Joseph Planta.
Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
Tonight, at Gallery 881 in Vancouver, and running until June 6, 2026 is the new exhibit from the acclaimed photographer and artist Michelle Leone Huisman, Vapes & Butts. The new body of work takes the discarded remnants of contemporary life, and turns them into images of haunted beauty and permanence. There are 22 richly layered photographs in this exhibit and they depict the battered vape pods and cigarette butts we see all too often on our streets. Michelle, who joins me now, sees these on her walks, and safely and carefully picks them up and through her lens offers a reflection on symbols of addiction, consumption, pollution and ritual. These are expensive habits, and they’re reduced to trash. I’ll ask Michelle about what she sees when she finds these things, and the art that emerges. She’ll talk about the work of Irving Penn, and how his work speaks to her. I’ll ask Michelle about the platinum palladium printing process she uses. There will be an artist talk at Gallery 881, Saturday, 23 May 2026 at 2pm, 881 East Hastings Street. Visit www.michellehuisman.com [1] for more. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Michele Leone Huisman; Ms. Huisman, good morning.
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