1,000-pound butter sculpture takes centre stage at Contemporary Calgary
Posted May 29, 2026 2:58 pm.
Contemporary Calgary will unveil three new solo exhibitions new week, with a massive 1,000‑pound butter sculpture serving as the standout feature.
The sculpture, created on-site for Ghazaleh Avarzamani’s Churn, Earn, Burn and then Return, is temporary and will last only for the duration of the show.
The butter piece draws inspiration from a life‑size butter figure of the Prince of Wales displayed by Canada at the 1925 British Empire Exhibition. Avarzamani’s work connects Monopoly‑style gameplay to themes of land expansion, resource extraction, labour, and unstable markets, using butter both as a material and a symbol.
The exhibitions also include Haig Aivazian’s You May Own the Lanterns, but We Have the Light and Adelita Husni Bey’s Agency.
The pieces examine the systems that shape daily life, who holds power, and how people push back. The show features animation, film, sculpture, and textiles, with several works created specifically for the gallery.
“These three exhibitions encourage visitors to look more closely at the systems around us, the games we play, how public space is managed, and the subtle ways power operates,” said David Leinster, CEO of Contemporary Calgary, thanking curators Mona Filip and Muriel N. Kahwagi for assembling the lineup.
The exhibitions open June 4 as part of Free First Thursday, with galleries accessible from 5 p.m. and remarks at 7 p.m. Admission is free, and no registration is required.
