Skip to content

Surrey artist Sandvoss ‘goes for the jugular’ with paintings of Bezos, Musk, Trump and others

12 of her paintings at Coquitlam gallery starting March 31
32213235_web1_230330-SUL-SandvossArtShow-MAIN_1
Alex Sandvoss’ “Green New Deal” painting features multiple images of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (Submitted image)

Surrey-based artist Alex Sandvoss is back with another show, this one focused on feminism, climate change, wealth and power.

The title: “I want to think about feminism, but I have to think about climate change,” which opens Friday, March 31 at Coquitlam’s Place Des Arts, in the Leonore Peyton Salon.

In 2020, her exhibit there took aim at social-media “influencers” and the “toxic” levels of consumption they encourage.

“This show goes for the jugular,” insisted Sandvoss, who has no formal art training and is self-taught. In a family of artists and musicians, she discovered painting while studying for a music degree at McGill University in Montreal, as a release from pressures of school.

She paints in oil using small brushes, with photograph-like results, and challenges the status quo and issues of today.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

”The Delivery Driver” is a painting by Surrey-based artist Alex Sandvoss. (Submitted image)
”The Delivery Driver” is a painting by Surrey-based artist Alex Sandvoss. (Submitted image)

Surrey-based artist Alex Sandvoss. (Photo: alexsandvoss.com)
Surrey-based artist Alex Sandvoss. (Photo: alexsandvoss.com)

Her spring show in Coquitlam features 12 paintings, including one of Elon Musk and another called “Green New Deal,” which features multiple images of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. A painting of the Supreme Court of the United States depicts Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and other conservatives performing an autopsy on a dead women, her commentary on the repeal of Roe vs Wade and the decisions of men in power.

Sandvoss also paints changemakers she admires, including Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky.

Ultimately, she hopes her exhibition will spark conversations and inspire people to take action. Something she finds really messed up is how money and status grants people in power a free pass to do whatever they want.

“I feel good about this show,” Sandvoss said. “It’s really a collection of work that is on its own journey. What’s interesting is how the work evolved as I painted. It started out so focused on feminism, but as I continued creating, the work transitioned into questioning roles that wealth and power play. They evolved into pretty intense criticisms of how the world works.”

View Sandvoss’ work on instagram.com/sahdahtay and also alexsandvoss.com. Read more about Sandvoss’ spring show on placedesarts.ca.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
Read more