Perry Rath is an artist based on the unceded traditional Territory of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Witsuwit’en Nation, near Smithers, Northwestern BC, Canada.  His artwork is shown and collected across his region, nationally and internationally

Since graduating in Fine Art from the University of Guelph in 1995, Rath has been pursuing artistic projects in a variety of international venues. Rath’s practice has taken a number of different directions and series, encompassing installations, objects/artifacts, paintings, printmaking, publications, collaborations and education. These projects have consistently demonstrated an important sensitivity to materials, and explore the interplay of the idea and the materials, where process is as important as intent. In his range of work, Rath seeks visual and conceptual relationships of memory, renewal, presence/absence, history, time, place and communication. 

His popular and distinctive salmon and landscape-based paintings are widely collected.  These explore the range of patterns that humans rely upon to comprehend inner and outer environments. Drawing on botanical and geological motifs, maps, photographs and cultural iconography, these elements are assembled in a painterly way, juxtaposing geometric divisions with organic undulations. Within these works is a fascination by all that is held within the landscape and the maps of that territory – the stories, the routes, the changes, the tragedies, and the reverence.

For nearly 20 years, Rath has exhibited across Canada, and internationally in Australia, India, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary and the US. In 2004, his artwork attracted the attention and praise of Adrienne Clarkson during her tenure as the Governor-General of Canada. Rath’s projects have been used in a variety of ways as well, including use on BC Parks signage, in international books and journals, a variety of websites, and on CD covers (most recently for Juno & Latin Grammy-winner Alex Cuba, Victoria-based ambient musician Maseev, and a Ken Wilbur spoken word CD). In recent years, he has been represented at Parallax Art Fair, NYC and in What Those Who Teach Can Do, at the Art Institute of Vancouver, amongst others. He was a featured artist representing Northern BC at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Rath has been interviewed on a number of regional and provincial radio programs.

Born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, in 1971, Rath settled near Smithers in 2002, living rurally with his wife, 2 sons, and young daughter, amongst a variety of mountain wildlife.

Perry Rath has established himself as a prominent artist, educator and advocate in his region.

To see a more thorough portfolio of his artwork and non-commercial art projects, please visit his main site http://perryrath.com/