Janice Rahn

Janice Rahn is an internationally exhibited interdisciplinary artist and writer whose work spans printmaking, sculpture, porcelain, drawing, sound, video and installation. Now dividing her creative life between Hornby Island and France, Janice brings a distinguished academic and international career to a practice defined by curiosity, experimentation and a willingness to continually explore new ideas and materials.

With a BFA from Queen’s University, an MFA in Printmaking and a PhD from Concordia University, Janice spent many years as a university professor, researcher and educator. She is the author of Painting Without Permission, an ethnographic study of hip-hop graffiti culture, and an award-winning printmaker whose work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Kochi International Triennial Exhibition of Prints in Japan.

Sound, video and immersive installation have also been an important part of Janice’s work. Her solo installation & Garden invited viewers into an environment of image and sound, with individual recordings of water creating a shifting chorus as people moved through the work. Other projects have combined sound, video, sculpture and performance, including collaborations with fellow artist Michael Campbell. Their travelling immersive audio-video installation Elephant’s Graveyard, housed in an Airstream trailer, was shown on Hornby Island and toured to galleries elsewhere, while its video component was exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada, in Paris and at the Venice Biennale.

More recently, Janice’s interests in gardening, plants and art history have found their way into tactile, organic works in carved porcelain, steel, bamboo and willow, along with charcoal and ink drawings and monoprints. Her forms often suggest bodies, branches and garden structures, continuing her exploration of nature, growth and transformation.

Hornby remains an important part of Janice’s creative life. In 2025, she was included in Archaeology of Place: Geoffrey Road Show at the Hornby Arts Centre, curated by noted New York gallerist James Cohan and bringing together the remarkable group of internationally acclaimed artists who are also Geoffrey Road neighbours.

From award-winning printmaking and immersive sound installations to porcelain and organic sculpture, Janice has never been defined by a single medium. Her work continues to evolve – thoughtful, inventive and always open to another way of seeing.