John Velten’s artistic practice is a relational philosophy made material. Deeply invested in understanding selfhood from a continual, circular, set of emergent relationships, Velten prompts visitors to ask themselves: what connections have been crucially important to me? His professional history attests to his strong belief in the power of relationship building. Velten’s artistic biography is rich with community and collaborative projects, having worked on initiatives such as Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, Vancouver Art Community Live Painting, Vancouver Mural Festival, and many more.

His articulation of relationality calls attention to the expansiveness of these cultivated networks. Across self, persons, earth, and spirit, the largest experiences of connection begin with the personal and a deep trust in intuition. Looking inwards, one must take care of themselves, recognizing that this self is always shaped by forces outside it. Velten brings awareness to which worlds we ought to invest in, and those that in turn invest in us. These worlds are often personal, as are the artistic mentorships he has been a part of with Tahltan artist Alano Edzerza and Haida artist Rick Adkins. Yet, they extend beyond the physical, material, bodily self into the spiritual and celestial. As gravity forms circles, so to do circles form us.