Jim Holyoak’s discipline consists of drawing, writing, ink-painting, artists’ books and room-sized drawing installations. He received a BFA from the University of Victoria, an MFA from Concordia University, and studied as an apprentice to master ink-painter Shen Ling Xiang, in Yangshuo, China. In parallel to his solo practice, Holyoak has orchestrated numerous collaborative drawing projects, often with fellow artist Matt Shane, and sometimes involving hundreds of people drawing together. His work has circulated widely, as part of solo, collaborative and group exhibitions, as well as performances, publications, residencies, lectures and symposia. These contexts range from museums, commercial galleries and artist-run-centres, to DIY spaces, murals and zines. He has severed on juries, led workshops, and taught at Concordia University, Sheridan College and presently at Emily Carr University (online). In the Fall of 2024, he will publish his first graphic novel, ‘Book of 19 Nocturnes.’ Holyoak is presently based on the traditional, unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes peoples, in the town of Nelson, BC.
