You Can Never Go Home Again

Exhibit dates October 7 to November 10, 2025

You are invited!

Gallery Exhibit Opening Reception Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 2pm

You Can Never Go Home Again was first proposed in 2022 as a response to the rapid rise in housing costs, followed by the unprecedented rate hikes that attempted to correct them. Many of those early 5-year low-rate mortgages are now resetting into much higher payments. The project reflects on the roots of British Columbia’s housing crisis through my own experience of growing up in an economically challenged environment in Chilliwack during the late 1970s. It explores how working-class families, like mine, faced the pressures of an inflationary recession (stagflation), leading to difficult choices about relocation and employment.

I approached this work through a series of paintings informed by site visits, family archives, memory, and historical records—each tied to places we once called home. My goal is to contextualize the cyclical nature of real estate markets; particularly how inflationary monetary policies often culminate in affordability crises.

Alongside my practice as an artist and educator, I bring 25 years of experience as a real estate investor and a background in the financial industry as a lender, including working with mortgage applications. By combining personal history with professional experience, I aim to spark dialogue about our current housing challenges and highlight their multifaceted nature.

In 2025, I revisited the data and revised the paintings to create a more cohesive exhibition, presenting both the original and updated data as a point of contrast.

Christopher Friesen- 2025.