The Newsroom
Remembering B.C. artist Anna Banana
Figure 1 Publishing is saddened to hear of the passing of Canadian conceptual artist Anna Banana (1940–2024) on Friday, November 29th in Sechelt, BC.
Anna Banana was known for her fun mail art and compelling performance art in the 1960s around counterculture movements. Her intriguing work was captured in a retrospective titled Anna Banana: 45 Years of Fooling Around with A. Banana, which Figure 1 co-published with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in 2015. The book traces her evolution from Anne Long to conceptual artist Anna Banana and the breadth of her oeuvre. It also considers the paradox that an artist of her stature could remain virtually unknown while subverting mainstream art and culture so relentlessly and so humorously for so long.
“We are so sad to hear that Anna has passed away. It was so much fun to work with her on her book,” says Chris Labonté, Publisher & President of Figure 1 Publishing. “She was big-hearted and generous and remarkable in every way, and we will miss her.”
We send our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and community.