Emily Hermant gives electrical wires new life in her woven art pieces, the first to be displayed as part of Vancouver Art Gallery's new annual Vancouver Now! exhibition. The exhibition launches on August 7, 2026, and will include a rotation of solo exhibitions by artists in Vancouver.
Emily Hermant has lived in Vancouver since 2016, integrating herself into the city's art scene. She has previously lived and created in Montreal, Quebec, receiving a BFA in Studio Arts from Concordia University, and Chicago, Illinois, receiving an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It is through her experience, both education and practice, that she has come to develop her art style, where she uses wires and data cables to create weavings and structures. The works invite viewers to think about how technology steals our attention, while simultaneously asking that we sustain focus to observe the components of the pieces. Emily Hermant's artistry therefore evokes the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Hermant uses recycled communication wire, specifically the plastic outer casings, to create structures that are, according to Monte Clark Gallery, inspired by digitally sourced source imagery, creating textured surfaces. With the use of recycled wire, she generates new life from electronic materials. She deconstructs their representation of technology that is now inseparable from human life into new works that necessitate an acknowledgement of their component parts.
Richard Hill, Vancouver Art Gallery's Smith Jarislowsky Senior Curator of Canadian Art, says to not be fooled by how photogenic Emily Hermant's work is, quoted from a July 28, 2026 press release by VAG. "You really need to see them in person. When you are in their presence, they remain aesthetically seductive, but the sense of their tactile materiality comes through forcefully. It is that experience that draws us into contemplating their deeper significance."
The multicoloured wire creates vibrant works, such as Talk Through Me, which creates the impression of water meeting lush green mountains, topped with clouds and a bright yellow sky. On the other hand, her other work Billow layers multicoloured telecommunication wires, creating a rock-like structure that appears more abstract than the others.
Talk Through Me, Billow and other sculptures or hanging weavings rely on the viewer to focus beyond their surface to their composition and materials in order to uncover Hermant's layered meaning.