You and I Are Water Earth Fire Air of Life and Death - PART 5 | artLAB Gallery and Livestreaming
November 21, 2024
"Water (Deshkan Ziibi)” is curated by Christof Migone, Sheri Osden Nault, and Ruth Skinner. Presented by the artLAB Gallery at the Department of Visual Arts, this 12-hour event will be streamed via YouTube and will feature performances by participants Kate Armstrong, Bagida’waad Alliance, Dickson Bou, Penelope Cain, Shannon Cooney, Tom Cull, Melissa General, Farheen Haq, Kaya Joan, Sharmistha Kar, Claire Liu, Patrick Mahon, Thomas Mahon, Brady Marks, Christof Migone, Laura Millard, Valerie Mills-Milde, Star Nahwegahbo, Sheri Osden Nault, Eli Nolet, Raquel Rowe, Jon Sasaki, Lou Sheppard, Ruth Skinner, Quinn Smallboy, Jordyn Stewart, Mark Timmings, Paul Walde, Michelle Wilson.
SustainableCities: A Collective Eclipsing | artLAB Gallery
November 20, 2024
Curated by Imogen Clendinning, "SustainableCities: A Collective Eclipsing" features work by artists Brigitta Zhao, Philip Gurrey, Michelle Wilson, Theo Jean Cuthand, Danielle Petti, and Jessica Joyce. Opening reception is Friday, November 22 from 5-7pm in the artLAB Gallery.
G’round Textile Waste Tour & Seminar
October 09, 2024
G’round Textile Waste Tour & Seminar! Visit the Goodwill Commercial Solutions facility in London to get a behind the scenes look at how donated items and textiles are sorted, managed and recycled. Then the following day join artist Lois Klassen for an exploration of textile circularity at the personal level. Register to attend!
Open Studios | Graduate Program
October 09, 2024
We are hosting our first Open Studios of the year on October 24th from 8-9pm in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre here at Western. MFAs and PhDs are opening their studios, so come see the creative process, engage in relevant discussions, get inspired, and meet our cohort! This event is free and open to the public.
Closing Reception & Artist-led Tour of Lullaby at McIntosh Gallery
August 29, 2024
Join us in celebrating Brittany/Andrew Forrest's MFA thesis exhibition "Lullaby" at McIntosh Gallery and the closing reception and artist-led tour. This event is free and open to the public, all are welcome to attend and no registration is required. Enjoy snacks and refreshments among friends and community members. Remarks and artist-led exhibition tour at 5:30p.m.
Hannah West: Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) | artLAB Gallery
August 29, 2024
Congratulations to Hannah West whose MFA thesis exhibition is on view "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" in the artLAB Gallery September 5th - September 30th. Join us for an opening reception on Thursday, September 5 from 5-7pm!
Indigenous artist-in-residence uses film and video games to connect with students
By
Jo Jennings ,Western News , August 19, 2024Theo Jean Cuthand, an experimental and narrative filmmaker and indie game developer, joins Western this fall as the new Indigenous artist-in-residence. Cuthand’s works have been shown in festivals and galleries internationally, including the Tribeca Film Festival, Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the National Gallery of Canada. “Theo is bringing an exciting expertise to Western with his experience in short experimental narrative videos and films about queer identity and love, sexuality, madness and Indigeneity,” said Alena Robin, chair of the department of visual arts. “These are timely topics that are of concern to our students, department, campus and London community.”
Brittany/Andrew Forrest: Lullaby | McIntosh Gallery
August 06, 2024
Congratulations to Brittany/Andrew Forrest whose MFA thesis exhibition titled "Lullaby" is on view in the McIntosh Gallery August 6 - September 6, 2024. Join us for the closing reception and artist-led tour at the McIntosh Gallery on Friday, September 6 from 5pm to 7pm. This event is free and open to the public, all are welcome to attend.
Jessica Irene Joyce: How can I be OK with the e/and of the world? | artLAB Gallery
July 18, 2024
Congratulations to Jessica Irene Joyce whose MFA thesis exhibition titled "How can I be OK with the e/and of the world?" opens tonight in the artLAB Gallery and is on view until August 1, 2024. Join Jessica Irene Joyce and Ashar Mobeen for an exhibition tour and discussion on Tuesday, July 30 from 12-1PM
Anahí González: used as a material in the production of another | Artcite Inc.
July 15, 2024
Anahí González's PhD thesis exhibition at Artcite Inc. in Windsor, Ontario explores migration, Mexican labour, and identity with questions relating to commerce, systems of power and the event of photography through the mediums of photography, installations, and participatory practices. In “used as a material in the production of another", González engages with different industries that connect today’s Mexico and Canada, such as the automotive industry, agriculture, and others, and highlights how systems of power perceive Mexican labour as mobile, multi-purpose, and temporary.
Anahí González: used as a material in the production of another | Artcite Inc.
June 20, 2024
Save the date! Come celebrate the work of Anahí González, a current PhD candidate and MFA alum, at the opening of her PhD thesis exhibition, "used as a material in the production of another," at Artcite Inc. in Windsor, Ontario, on Friday, July 12. An artist talk and performance will follow on Saturday, July 13, at 2 p.m.
Sasha Opeiko: a movement of darkness on darkness | McIntosh Gallery
June 09, 2024
The McIntosh Gallery presents Sasha Opeiko's PhD thesis exhibition, titled "a movement of darkness on darkness". You're invited to the opening reception on Thursday, June 13 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
Collecting Her Thoughts: Lightning Talks on Women Art Collectors Across Time
June 04, 2024
PhD Candidate Ashar Mobeen delivered a lightning talk titled, “Mapping the Cosmos: Vera Rubin and the Art of Astronomy” at Boston University on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Retrospective Exhibition Showcases the Unique Works and Legacy of London Artist Philip Aziz
May 29, 2024
An exhibition showcasing works by London artist Philip Aziz opens at Satellite Project Space on Monday, June 3rd. Painted By My Hand: Works from the Collection of Philip Aziz features a selection of paintings, lithographs, and photographs from the personal collection of Philip Aziz (1923 – 2009), a renowned London-based artist whose works have been shown in London, Toronto, Detroit, and New York. Curated by Prof. Cody Barteet and Natalie Scola a current PhD candidate in the Department of Visual Arts.
Department of Visual Arts at INSAP 2024
May 25, 2024
At the INSAP 2024: Thirty Years of Astronomy, Art and Inspiration conference hosted by the Ionian University of Corfu, Professor John Hatch presented a paper titled "Touching the Universe: Backyard Science Projects in Contemporary Art" along with PhD candidate, Ashar Mobeen who presented a paper titled “Cosmic Echoes in the Art and Architecture of the Islamic Golden Age”.
Exhibition Review: Derek Liddington at Contemporary Calgary
By
Marsel Reddick ,Akimbo , May 23, 2024"Derek Liddington’s the trees weep, the mountains still, the bodies rust covers Contemporary Calgary from floor to ceiling, every wall painted with pink, blue, purple, and white – but mostly green – amorphous forms just familiar enough to invite viewers to play with interpretation. At first abstract, the fluid contours generate the visual experience of running through a forest. There emerges a tree, then a stream, then a leg, dancing and jumping. Canvases hanging on the walls are mostly rectangular, with some in shapes that resemble hands and feet..."
Temporal Palimpsests: Curated by Amy Skodak | Cohen Commons
May 23, 2024
The exhibit showcases the work of artists from the Department of Visual Arts at Western University who address themes such as memory, the passage of time, the impacts of time, and the cataloging of time. Through repurposing material and in multi-media installation, these artists reimagine the palimpsest. This exhibition is curated by Amy Skodak, MA candidate and features artwork by: Jessica Joyce, Rylee Rumble, Chloe Serenko, SiHyun Kim, Anna Riberdy, Danielle Petti.
Dong-Kyoon Nam: proce-ss-emblage|distanced-matters
April 19, 2024
The Artlab Gallery presents Dong-Kyoon Nam's PhD thesis exhibition, titled "proce-ss-emblage|distanced-matters". You're invited to the opening reception on Thursday, April 25 from 5pm to 7pm. Additionally, join us again on Wednesday, May 1 at 2pm to bring your questions, concerns, doubts, and inspirations related to your thoughts, observations, and experiences from the exhibition. Dong-Kyoon Nam will briefly discuss his ideas and practice with Steven Debruyn, an MFA candidate. Following this, we'll open up the floor for a community discussion on everyone's responses to the exhibition.
UAAC-AAUC Conference 2024: Call for Papers
April 15, 2024
The UAAC-AAUC conference will be held in the Department of Visual Arts at Western University from October 24 to 26, 2024. We invite the submission of paper proposals until May 31st, 2024.
PhD candidate Blessy Augustine recently published an essay in the journal Photography and Culture
April 14, 2024
Blessy Augustine, “The Francis Effect and the Significance of Gestures and Images,” Photography and Culture, 16 no. 3 (2023): 253-256.
PhD candidate Anahí González recently published an essay in the journal Photography and Culture
April 14, 2024
Anahí González-Terán, “Exhibiting Migration Stories: An Exploration of Poetics in Moysés Zuñiga’s Photography,” Photography and Culture, 16 no. 3 (2023): 235-242.
Sydney McArthur: Subtitles Speak: Building Bridges Through Text and Image
April 13, 2024
Sydney McArthur, MA Candidate in Art History and Museum Studies presents her curatorial project titled “Subtitles Speak: Building Bridges Through Text and Image,” in the JLVAC, April 22-26, 2024. McArthur notes, "This project connects film stills with contemporary art on the use of subtitles to relay deeper meanings. The subtitle has its origins in film for the purpose of translation and accessibility. This mini exhibition uses subtitled film stills as a symbol of otherness, translation, and understanding between the viewer and art."
Derek Liddington: the trees weep, the mountain still, the bodies rust | Contemporary Calgary
April 10, 2024
The trees weep, the mountain still, the bodies rust features a recent body of work by Visual Arts PhD candidate and MFA alum, Derek Liddington in which the genre of landscape is the central focus. This exhibition is on view at Calgary Contemporary until August 25, 2024.
Grad Open Studios and Research Presentations
March 28, 2024
Important update - April 11, 2024: PSAC 610 is on strike, and in solidarity, the graduate students of the Visual Arts Department have indefinitely postponed this year's Open Studios and Research Presentations that were to be held on 13 April at the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre.
Philip Gurrey: Thresholds | Satellite Project Space
March 27, 2024
Congratulations to Philip Gurrey whose PhD thesis exhibition "Thresholds" opens Thursday, March 28, 2024 at Satellite Project Space and is on view until April 6th 2024.
Prof. Sarah Bassnett and Blessy Augustine | Photography and Culture
March 26, 2024
Professor Sarah Bassnett and PhD candidate Blessy Augustine recently guest-edited a special issue of the journal Photography and Culture on 21st-century migration. We are pleased to share the following essays from the special issue...
Ashar Mobeen at EnviroCon 2024
March 25, 2024
PhD Candidate Ashar Mobeen presented his paper titled, “Planting New Worlds: How Astrobiology and Decolonial Theory Can Reshape Sustainable Farming” at EnviroCon 2024 on March 22.
SOGS 38th Annual Western Research Forum
March 18, 2024
PhD Candidate Ashar Mobeen presented a poster on his working thesis, “From Stars We Come, To Stars We Return: Exploring Ancient and Indigenous Cosmic Worldviews” at the SOGS 38th Annual Western Research Forum on Friday, March 15, 2024.
Tia Bates and Danielle Petti: Momentarily Unstuck | Satellite Project Space
March 15, 2024
Congratulations to first-year MFA students, Danielle Petti and Tia Bates whose exhibition 'Momentarily Unstuck' is on view now at Satellite Project Space. Please join the artists in the gallery for the closing reception on March 22 from 5pm - 7pm.
2024 Western Sustainable Impact Fund Success
March 05, 2024
Congratulations to Katie Lawson and Ashar Mobeen, PhD candidates, along with post-doctoral fellow Amanda White from the Department of Visual Arts, in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Curating, for securing funding for their projects through the Western Sustainable Impact fund. For more details about each funded project, please visit the Western Sustainability website.
tba journal, PLASTIC, volume launch
March 01, 2024
The editorial team at tba journal is thrilled to launch the 5th peer reviewed volume, PLASTIC, that has been digitally published on their platform at tbajournal.ca
Bruno Belli Crafts an Awesome Personal Project at the Art Gallery of Ontario
By
Lexi Taciak ,Architectural Photography Review , February 09, 2024"Today we’re taking a little trip to Ontario with architectural photographer Bruno Belli! Bruno has sublimely photographed Frank Gehry’s expansion of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). “I shot these over the course of three days there, trying to get the right light and mood for each of the angles. Some of the interesting challenges were incorporating the vibrant life outside the gallery and having to shoot all of the interiors handheld,” Bruno starts off. Let’s jump on in and see his (very cool) images!"
Tracing Labor Territories | Sur Gallery
February 08, 2024
The artists in the exhibition deconstruct the politicized spaces that lie between territory and labor, outlining the imperial and colonial relationship of the North and the South. Four artists listen and interpret migratory flows between borders, they shift the margins and narratives with various artistic proposals and mediums. From photography to video installation to sound art, the artists Anahí González, María Hoyos, Martín Rodríguez, and Victor Vargas offer counter-narratives and a perspective of the migrant worker who is often marginal, silenced, and exploited, within a settler colonial state that profits of their labor force while making their presence invisible.
DRAFTS 5: DIASPORIC BODIES | Artlab Gallery
January 11, 2024
Curated by Soheila Esfahani & Faseeh Saleem, this exhibition features work by: Anahí González, Anna Lidström, Erika Blomgren and Faseeh Saleem , Jessica Karuhanga, Karin Landahl & Stefanie, Malmgren de Oliveira, Leith Mahkewa, Racquel Rowe, Vidmina Stasiulyte. This exhibition brings together a group of artists from the Department of Visual Arts at Western University, London, Canada, and design researchers from the Body and Space Research Lab at the Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, Sweden. Please join us for the closing reception of DRAFTS 5: DIASPORIC BODIES on Thursday, January 25 from 12-2PM in the Cohen Commons. Image: Jessica Karuhanga, Photo Credit: Toni Hafkenscheid, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
bread, butter, tea, soup | Artlab Gallery
January 11, 2024
Presented by The Creative Food Research Collaboratory, 'bread, butter, tea, soup' is a gathering place and a series of food-based artistic interventions presented by the Creative Food Research Collaboratory. In the darkness of winter, before the light begins to return incrementally, we invite all to share in the warmth, comfort and complexity of food; to eat, learn, digest and imagine together. Please join us for a series of artistic activations throughout January. More information about these live events can be found through the link below.
Phillip Gurrey: Enclosures | Birch Contemporary
January 10, 2024
Enclosures is an immersive installation of paintings and wall and floor-based sculpture by PhD candidate Phillip Gurrey. This exhibitions opens with a private viewing at Birch Contemporary on January 18 from 6pm - 8pm.
Masha Kouznetsova: coordinates / sweeping | The End Project Space
January 09, 2024
'coordinates / sweeping' showcases new work by Masha Kouznetsova, current candidate of Western University’s PhD program in the Visual Arts department. Masha Kouznetsova’s multidisciplinary work and writing foreground sonic, visual, and imperceptible signals as modes of searching for grounding and interconnectedness.
External Now at Satellite Project Space
January 09, 2024
Congratulations to MFA candidates Hannah West and Jessica Joyce whose exhibition 'Eternal Now' opens at Satellite Project Space on January 10 and runs through January 20. Please join us at the closing reception on January 20 from 3-5pm. Closing Reception: January 20, 3-5pm
Gardenship and State: Thinking with creativity
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Busra Copuroglu , December 18, 2023How can artistic projects disseminate knowledge about complex socio-cultural and environmental issues? Conceived at the intersection of environmental critique, decolonial theory, and artistic practice, GardenShip and State engages this question to examine environmental catastrophe and its impact on the lives of colonized peoples by bringing together artists and scholars to mobilize knowledge through interdisciplinary work.
Participants Needed: Research in Examining Apprenticeship in Tattooing in Ontario
December 05, 2023
PhD candidate Ana Moyer and professor Dr. Cody Barteet, researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, are seeking participants for a study titled Apprenticeship in Canadian Tattooing. The purpose of this study is to document the experience of Ontario 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or disabled tattoo artists during their apprenticeship or other methods to learn tattooing. We are recording oral history interviews, concentrating our work in the Greater Toronto Area, London, and Guelph district.
Exploring Modern and Craft Art in London’s Cathedral’s | Cohen Commons
December 03, 2023
"Exploring Modern and Craft Art in London’s Cathedral’s" is on view in the Cohen Commons Gallery until December 7, 2023. In our exhibit “Exploring Modern and Craft Art in London’s Cathedral’s” we consider the art and purpose of two chapels within our community. The chapels, Our Lady and St. Aidan’s, are small sites of worship that are part of the larger Catholic and Anglican cathedrals of St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s, respectively. Contrasting the larger Gothic and Romanesque inspired century-old cathedrals, the mid to late twentieth-century chapels adopt more modern aesthetics in their design and adornment.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Sam Wagter | Artlab Gallery
November 09, 2023
The Artlab Gallery is pleased to present "Non-Stop Digital Flickerings" an exhibition of work by MFA candidate Sam Wagter. "Non-Stop Digital Flickerings looks between the binaries, into the ‘void’, and explores the glitches which reside inside. ‘Void’ is the space found within the gaps of these coded structures. It is the in-between space." Please join us for the opening reception on Thursday, November 23 from 5-7pm.
"In the Heart of the Bronze: A Liu Shiming Experience" | Artlab Gallery
October 20, 2023
Ashar Mobeen, PhD candidate is curating an exhibition of work by renowned Chinese sculptor Liu Shiming. The show, In the Heart of the Bronze: A Liu Shiming Experience will run in the artLAB from October 26 to November 16, 2023. Many members from the Liu Shiming Foundation are travelling from New York to attend a special opening reception and panel discussion -- we hope you can also be present! Opening Reception will take place on Thursday, October 26 from 5-7PM and will continue with a panel discussion with Yam Lau from 7-8PM. Image: Liu Shiming, Looking at Each Other Through the Cage 隔笼相望, 1990. Opening Reception: Thursday, October 26 from 5-7PM / JLVAC artLAB Gallery Panel Discussion with Yam Lau: Thursday, October 26 from 7-8PM / WIRB 1170
Enclosures, objects, mediation: A virtual reading group with Sasha Opeiko | Art Windsor-Essex
October 19, 2023
Join us for a virtual reading group exploring some of themes addressed in Sasha Opeiko’s solo show, pixel / dust, on view at Art Windsor-Essex from October 24, 2023 until January 21, 2024. Sasha’s work explores intersections of artistic production, machine-oriented ontology, and new definitions of melancholy to explore the reality of objects in the context of late capitalism. We will be reading texts by Levi Bryant, Gilles Deleuze, Isabelle Graw,W. J. T Mitchell, and Hito Steyerl. Registration is required.
Steve deBruyn Art Show 2023: Elf:Cat:Per | Satellite Project Space
October 18, 2023
"Steve deBruyn Art show 2023:Elf:Cat:Per is an art show that was made to be seen! It is an art show that is made to be experienced! A tour through the twisted turns of a reverted and pivoted methodology much in the throes of the ongoing process of art school, this exhibition dares to posit a direction in the future by besmirching the past." Steve deBruyn Art Show 2023: Elf:Cat:Per is on view at Satellite Project Space October 19-28, 2023. An activation is set for Saturday October 21st, from 2-5pm.
Static Unearthed, MFA Group Exhibition | Artlab Gallery
September 29, 2023
Please join the 2nd-year MFA candidates on Thursday, October 5 from 5-7PM in the Artlab Gallery for the opening reception if their group exhibition "Static Unearthed". This exhibition will be on view October 5 - 19, 2023.
Brittany/Andrew Forrest: Gasp | Satellite Project Space
September 14, 2023
Brittany/Andrew Forrest second year MFA candidate is pleased to present their exhibition at Satellite Project Space, "Gasp". On view September 13 - September 22, 2023. Join us for the closing reception on September 22 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Art exhibit reimagines T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ in times of climate change
By
Emily Passfield ,Western News , August 11, 2023Topic Share Explore All News Hannah Verster was contemplating the significance of T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land, which describes the concerns and fears of society after World War I, when she began wondering if those concerns, particularly about ecology, could be reflected in current fears about climate change. The result is a unique, interdisciplinary art exhibit helmed by the masters in visual arts student. ‘A heap of broken images: revisiting The Waste Land through art in a time of climate crisis’ has been created in collaboration with Western’s geology and earth sciences department.
Brittany Forrest is awarded the See|Me Student Prize
August 11, 2023
Congratulations to MFA candidate Brittany Forrest as she was recently awarded the See|Me Student Prize in the NEW REALISM / ALTERED REALITY exhibition competition. Brittany's work will be featured in the group exhibition at Gallery 23 NY in New York City which opens on August 16th and runs through September 24, 2023.
Alyssa Sweeney: Confined by Darkness | McIntosh Gallery
July 30, 2023
Alyssa Sweeney's MFA thesis exhibition 'Confined by Darkness' is on view at the McIntosh Gallery starting August 3rd with a closing reception scheduled for September 8 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. 'Confined by Darkness' uses night photography to explore themes of place attachment and psychogeography of the surrounding environment. By venturing out alone while most are fast asleep Sweeney captures images in a way that most people infrequently see. Sweeney explores the emotional and mental connection to being physically present within the space, thus rendering the subject matter available for individuals to evoke their own experiences and memories in response.
Masha Kouznetsova: sweeping the forest floor of frequencies | Artlab Gallery
July 24, 2023
Masha Kouznetsova's MFA thesis exhibition will be on view in the Artlab Gallery from July 27th to August 11th. "sweeping the forest floor of frequencies" is an exhibition of multidisciplinary works that foreground sonic, visual, and imperceptible signals as methods for grounding and interconnectedness. Search begins with intention but letting go of intention and forgetting about the search is key to wayfinding, to pausing. A series of such intuitive pauses results in archipelagoes of objects and processes that are the aleatory compositions within the installations of sweeping the forest floor of frequencies.
Hannah Verster: “A Heap of Broken Images:” Revisiting The Waste Land through Art in a Time of Climate Crisis
June 28, 2023
MA candidate Hannah Verster's exhibition “A Heap of Broken Images:” Revisiting The Waste Land through Art in a Time of Climate Crisis” features her artwork and the work of Zachari Logan, Reilly Knowles, and Amanda White. The exhibition will be presented in Western University’s Biological & Geological Sciences Building (across from BGS 0162) from July 17 - August 21, 2023.
Hannah West: What Has Been and What Will Be | 10C Shared Space
June 27, 2023
Congratulations to current MFA candidate, Hannah West whose first solo exhibition "What Has Been and What Will Be" will be on view at 10C Shared Space in Guelph from July 5th - 27th, with an opening reception on July 7th from 1pm to 3pm.
Imagine: Student Book Art Exhibition
By
Western Libraries , June 23, 2023Experience the visual culture and imagination of our students through a book art exhibition. Imagine was produced by eight Masters and PhD students, and Professor Patrick Mahon, who came together in the graduate studio seminar entitled, On the Purposeful Imagination. The work will be on view in The Reading Room in the Archives & Special Collections, Weldon Library for the month of July.
Philip Gurrey: Potential Indifference | Artlab Gallery
June 20, 2023
The work of PhD candidate Philip Gurrey are on view in his solo exhibition "Potential Indifference" in the Artlab Gallery from June 15 - July 6, 2023.
Art show addresses issues of race, gender, sexuality, and diaspora
By
Megan Stacey ,Western News , May 19, 2023Faculty, staff and artists gathered at Western's artLAB for the opening reception of its newest exhibition, "of many worlds in this world," including the chance to walk across a recreation of the Deshkan Ziibiing, or the Thames River, a work by Sheri Osden Nault.
Anahí González: Hacia Arriba / Upwards | Xspace Cultural Centre
May 18, 2023
Congratulations to PhD candidate Anahí González whose solo exhibition "Hacia Arriba / Upwards" is on view May 26 - July 8 at Xspace Cultural Centre and is included in the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival in Toronto.
Brittany/Andrew Forrest Publishes The Imaginary Imagination
May 10, 2023
'The Imaginary Imagination' the recently published ebook was written by visual artist and MFA candidate Brittany/Andrew Forrest (she/her). This book acts as an appendage to her art practice. It contains a collection of vulnerable autobiographical accounts that embody themes that consider identity dysphoria, perception fabrications, mnemonic memory retrieval, power dynamics, sensory perception, gender assimilation, and sexual autonomy in relation to childhood, adolescent, and adult trauma.
Campus greenhouse reopens, offers ‘idyllic’ setting for visual arts exhibition
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Keri Ferguson ,Western News , April 14, 2023Three years after closing its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, Western’s greenhouses and botanical gardens have reopened, providing the ‘perfect’ gallery for an art history student exhibit. The installation, on display in the Tropical House – the largest glasshouse in the greenhouse complex – stems from a budding collaboration between the departments of visual arts and biology. When Ira Kazi, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, reached out to Carrie Hamilton, Biology facilities manager, to organize a tour for Kazi’s Nature in Early Modern Art course, Hamilton saw an opportunity to collaborate even further...
Forest City Gallery Welcomes New Executive Director
April 03, 2023
Congratulations to PhD candidate, Ruth Skinner as she was recently named the new Executive Director of the Forest City Gallery (FCG).
Into the Garden: Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner in Oaxaca, Mexico | Weldon Library
April 03, 2023
PhD candidate Iraboty Kazi and Dr. Cody Barteet are proud to present Into the Garden: Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner in Oaxaca, Mexico on view in D.B. Weldon Library, main floor glass cases. We explore ideas of place through botanical representations from the 2012 watercolour series, The World is a Garden. The series was created by London, Ontario-based artists, Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner during their residency in the Jardin Etnobotánico de Oaxaca (Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca), a space with a fascinating history and local connections.
Prof. Sarah Bassnett and Blessy Augustine present at the Association for Art History Conference
April 03, 2023
Professor Sarah Bassnett and PhD candidate Blessy Augustine are chairing a session on Photography and 21st-century migration at the Association for Art History conference hosted by University College London, UK on April 12, 2023.
Mutable Matters: A Conversation with Laura Hudspith
By
By Katie Lawson ,Peripheral Review , March 31, 2023Congratulations to PhD candidate Katie Lawson whose interview with artist Laura Hudspith was published by Peripheral Review.
PhD Candidate Ashar Mobeen Presents at EnviroCon 2023
March 21, 2023
Art & Visual Culture PhD Candidate Ashar Mobeen will present his paper titled “You are what you eat, from your head to your feet” at EnviroCon 2023: Intercultural Dialogue on Environment & Sustainability on Friday, March 24, 2023.
Derek Liddington: Marbled Bodies, Softened Earth | Daniel Faria Gallery
March 14, 2023
Congratulations to PhD candidate, Derek Liddington whose solo exhibition "Marbled Bodies, Softened Earth" opens at Daniel Faria Gallery in Toronto on March 16th, 2023 and runs through April 22, 2023.
Ashar Mobeen Presents at AHVA Graduate Symposium
March 01, 2023
Art & Visual Culture PhD Candidate Ashar Mobeen will present his paper titled “Wonders of the Ancestral Puebloans: Astronomers, Engineers, and Magicians of the Four Corners” at the 46th Annual AHVA Graduate Symposium on Friday, March 3rd at 2.30pm PST.
“The Implications of the ƛCDM Model of Cosmology on the Post-Colonial Terrain of Queen’s Park, Toronto” by Ashar Mobeen
February 26, 2023
Art & Visual Culture PhD candidate, Ashar Mobeen will present his paper titled, “The Implications of the ƛCDM Model of Cosmology on the Post-Colonial Terrain of Queen’s Park, Toronto” at the 2023 Graduate Conference of Comparative Literature, Hispanic Studies and the Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism on Saturday, March 11th at 2:15pm EST.
Imogen Clendenning: Archive on Ice | Ice Follies
February 26, 2023
PhD candidate, Imogen Clendenning's solar powered art installation "Archive on Ice" was included in "Ice Follies" a biennial festival of contemporary and community-engaged art presented on frozen Lake Nipissing in North Bay, Ontario from February 10 - 24th, 2023. Imogen was interviewed by CTV News about their work and involvement in the festival.
“The Passion of the Hedge-Rider” — Emily Pelstring
By
Ana Moyer ,CMag , February 14, 2023Congratulations to MA grad and current PhD candidate Ana Moyer whose review of Emily Pelstring's “The Passion of the Hedge-Rider” (2022) was published in Cmag.
tba: Call for Board Members
January 12, 2023
As we enter tba’s fifth year, the editorial team is looking to formalize the journal by building an editorial board comprising faculty and graduate students both internal and external to UWO. Board members would meet online twice per semester. They are expected to support in the development of good governance, review applications for indexing, support dissemination of the annual CFP, and may be asked to take on a peer-review role as necessary. If you have an interest in joining the board, or know someone at another institution who might, please contact the editor, Emily Cadotte, at tbaedit@uwo.ca
PROPHECY | tba journal of art, media, and visual culture
January 11, 2023
tba journal of art, media, and visual culture has published its fourth volume: PROPHECY. The editorial team is pleased to announce that this year’s volume contains thirteen interdisciplinary submissions representing works of visual art, creative writing, and art historical scholarship. Referencing the ancient, the surreal, the speculative, and yet-to-come, each submission grapples with pasts that offer us insight into possible futures. The online journal can be accessed in full at tbajournal.ca
Reflecting on Religious Imagery Through Documentation and Quotidian Objects | Cohen Commons
January 11, 2023
Reflecting on Religious Imagery Through Documentation and Quotidian Objects: Cody Barteet, Katie Oates, and Tanner Layton is on view in the Cohen Commons from January 12 - 26, 2023 with an opening reception on Thursday, January 12 from 5-7PM. "This exhibition reframes our experience of religious sites in Southwestern Ontario. We capture not the sacred, but rather the ordinary. Through these visions of decay, graffiti, and quotidian objects and images, we reimagine and reconsider how religious imagery is encountered. Our documentation explores the doorway between inclusion and exclusion, enchantment and disenchantment, and that which is concealed behind locked doors."
Cloud Painter at Trinity Square Video
January 10, 2023
Visual Arts PhD candidate Andreas Buchwaldt in collaboration with artist Joshua Vettivelu invite you to their show Cloud Painter at Trinity Square Video in Toronto. The opening reception is 6-8pm on Friday, January 13 and the exhibition runs until February 18th. Image: "Cloud Painter, Andreas Buchwaldt and Joshua Vettivelu, 2023."
PhD Candidate Shelley Kopp to Present at CSTC Winter Theory Sessions
January 10, 2023
PhD candidate, Shelley Kopp will be presenting "Traditional art, online: collection or documentation or communication?" for the Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism, Winter Theory Sessions on March 31, 2022 at 3:30pm in Stevenson Hall, room 1365. The session will also be live-streamed via Zoom.
Ruth Skinner for In Media Res
December 02, 2022
PhD Candidate Ruth Skinner's short essay, "A sword far heavier than any sword has rights to be," is included in this week's In Media Res: Props and Media Materialisms.
Defiça Portrayals: a Brazilian Gaze on Disability | Satellite Project Space
November 25, 2022
Defiça Portrayals: a Brazilian Gaze on Disability, Portraits of Brazil with Disabilities Collective Artists curated by PhD candidate Bruno Belli Sinder and Nádia Meinerz is on view at Satellite Project Space from November 22-26, 2022. Exhibition reception will take place in-person and online on Saturday, November 26 from 5pm - 7pm ET.
Moving Histories: An International Symposium on Screened Histories
October 31, 2022
Christine Sprengler presented "Refracted Pasts: History on Film Beyond the Cinema in Caroline Monnet's Mobilize (2015) and former MA student, Avery Lafortune presented "Fantastic Histories: Understanding the Past Through Fantasy Film and Television" at Moving Histories: An International Symposium on Screened Histories, October 29-30, 2022. Both papers are forthcoming in the Routledge Companion to History on Film, 2023.
PhD Candidate Ruth Skinner Presents at UAAC
October 20, 2022
PhD candidate Ruth Skinner will present at this year's UAAC conference on the double panel, Paranormal Exhibitions, organized by Jennifer Fisher and scheduled for October 29 from 9am-12:30pm. Her presentation, “'Snake in My Mouth': Cartomancy as Curatorial Strategy," considers the exhibition in terms of a card spread. The presenters for the Paranormal Exhibitions panels are Louis Kaplan, Alex Borkowski and Serena Keshavjee (9:00 - 10:30) and Nick Richbell, Ruth Skinner and Jim Drobnick (11:00 - 12:30).
Monuments and Their Futures in North America | UAAC
October 18, 2022
Prof. Cody Barteet will chair a panel at UAAC (Toronto): Monuments and Their Futures in North America. PhD candidates Calla Elia and Ashar Mobeen will both be presenting papers as part of this panel.
Masha Kouznetsova: hard ground / long road | Satellite Project Space
October 18, 2022
Please join MFA candidate Masha Kouznetsova for the opening reception of her solo exhibition "hard ground / long road" at Satellite Project Space on Friday, October 21 from 5pm - 7pm. The exhibition will be on view October 19 - 29, 2022. Image: california road / bach cut-up, 2021-2022, detail.
"Yvonne Williams: Life and Work of an Influential Stained Glass Artist" by Cody Barteet and Iraboty Kazi
October 13, 2022
Dr. Cody Barteet and PhD candiate Iraboty Kazi published "Yvonne Williams: Life and Work of an Influential Stained Glass Artist" through ArcGIS StoryMaps technology.
Thresholds and Inventories | Artlab Gallery
October 06, 2022
Thresholds and Inventories immerses viewers into the intersection of diverse practices by second-year MFA candidates Masha Kouznetsova, Rylee Rumble, Alyssa Sweeney, and Sam Wagter. Comprised of various mediums, this exhibition acts as a threshold for discussion, inviting viewers to investigate their own personal inventories—bodily phenomena, memories, experiences, environments, and identities. Join us for the opening reception Friday, October 7 from 5pm to 7pm.
Sam Wagter: "{ Unexpected Occurrence;" I Satellite Project Space
September 15, 2022
MFA canadiate Sam Wagter's solo exhibition "{ Unexpected Occurrence;" is on view at Satellite Project Space, September 14-24, 2022. The opening reception for this exhibition is on September 16, 2022.
Brazil/Canadá Curated by Bruno Sinder | Artlab Gallery
Artlab Gallery , August 04, 2022The Artlab Gallery is pleased to present "Brazil/Canadá" curated by Ph.D. candidate Bruno Sinder. Featuring over 100 family photographs of Brazilian immigrants to Canada, Brazil/Canadá invites viewers to reflect on the role personal photography plays in the process of migration. The opening reception is scheduled for August 11, from 5-7 pm. The exhibition runs from August 05 - 25, 2022.
Michelle Paterok: At Dusk | McIntosh Gallery
August 04, 2022
Michelle Paterok's MFA thesis exhibition "At Dusk" opens at McIntosh Gallery on August 11, 2022. "At Dusk" is a series of paintings investigating the poetics of colour and light in the context of domestic space. Paterok aims to express a specific emotional atmosphere of a space, seeking to depict time unfolding in the static frame of a painting. Join us for the closing reception at the McIntosh Gallery Friday, September 9, from 5-7 pm.
Migration Stories Whispered in My Ear / Me Susurran Al Oído Historias de Migrantes Moysés Zuñiga Santiago | McIntosh Gallery
August 04, 2022
The exhibition "Migration Stories Whispered in My Ear / Me Susurran Al Oído Historias de Migrantes Moysés Zuñiga Santiago" is on view at the McIntosh Gallery from August 11 - September 10, 2022. The exhibition is based on SSHRC-funded research by Professor Sarah Bassnett and curated by PhD candidate Anahí González. Join us at the closing reception on Friday, September 9, 5 - 7pm.
Anahí González | AGO X RBC Emerging Artists Exchange
August 02, 2022
Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate and MFA '21 alum Anahí González who has been selected to participate in the AGO X RBC Emerging Artists Exchange. This initiative provides three emerging artists with a paid four-week digital mentorship to pursue a research project. Anahí will explore artworks in the AGO's Latin American contemporary collection which depict human labour. This project is the continuation of her research about labour representation in visual arts and her artistic contribution to the relationship between Latin America and Canada. She wants her findings to provoke reflections on the power systems that create labour inequalities in Latin America and to highlight the importance of Latin American collections in Canadian art institutions.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Brianne Casey | Artlab Gallery
Artlab Gallery , July 14, 2022The Artlab Gallery is pleased to present Credulous Escapism an exhibition of work by MFA candidate Brianne Casey. The in-person opening reception runs this Thursday, July 14th in the Artlab Gallery from 6:30-8:30pm. Open to the public, Western University Vaccine Policy is in effect.
"London photographer's exhibit highlights where newcomers to the city feel most at home"
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Isha Bhargava ,CBC News , June 11, 2022PhD Candidate, Bruno Belli's photographic work "Home" was exhibited in London's multicultural festival on Sunday, June 12, 2022. "In his project titled Home, Belli captured six families in London who had recently immigrated to Canada by asking them which public spaces within the city they felt most at home, and allowed them to write a quote of their choice in their native languages."
"The Renal Community Photo Initiative: A Program Report in Ontario, Canada"
Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease , June 06, 2022"The Renal Community Photo Initiative: A Program Report in Ontario, Canada" has been published in the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease, co-authored by PhD candidate, Ruth Skinner, Cindy House, Andrew A. House, Chris McIntyre, and program participants Elaine Hayter, Pamela Ireland, Jared McGregor, and Ann Tillman. The full visual essay is available for viewing online.
Ashley Snook: NODES | Animality and Kinship | McIntosh Gallery
McIntosh Gallery , June 02, 2022"NODES | Animality and Kinship" is an exhibition by PhD candidate, Ashley Snook, which will be on view July 4 - 30, 2022 at the McIntosh Gallery. NODES is an exhibition that emphasizes ongoingness by addressing concepts of animality, kinship and interconnectivity with, and upon, our earth—Terra.
Brianne Casey: Fever Dreams | Satellite Project Space
Satelitte Project Space , May 15, 2022MFA candidate Brianne Casey exhibition "Fever Dreams" opens at Satellite Project Space on May 17, 2022 and runs through May 28, 2022. This exhibition will complement her thesis exhibition, "Credulous Escapism" that will be featured in July at the Artlab Gallery.
Iraboty Kazi: "Almost Heaven: Call Me by Your Name as a Queer Earthly Paradise" | South Central Review
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Iraboty Kazi ,South Central Review , April 20, 2022PhD candidate, Iraboty Kazi published an article titled: "Almost Heaven: Call Me by Your Name as a Queer Earthly Paradise" in the South Central Review in spring 2022. Read the full article online.
42x81 presents Michelle Wilson and Reilly Knowles
April 04, 2022
TAP Centre for Creativity and 42 x 81 presents PhD candidate Michelle Wilson and BFA '20 alum Reilly Knowles for a public presentation. The artists invite participants to bring their textile projects or pick up some of the supplied materials and stitch as they discuss their collaborative, intuitive textile work and their practices' relationships to water.
Sasha Opeiko | #artLAB publication series <02>
March 28, 2022
The Artlab gallery is pleased to present the second edition of the #artLAB publication series titled, "Soluble Parts and the Mediated Depths of Posthuman Plasma" written by PhD student Sasha Opeiko in response to Eeva Siivonen's PhD exhibition "I left parts of myself everywhere". Text and publication design is undertaken by current Department of Visual Arts Students. Copies are available for free at the Artlab reception desk, or as a PDF online.
Comparative Media Arts Journal: Heterotopias | Ashley Snook
Comparative Media Arts Journal , March 17, 2022Congratulations to PhD candidate, Ashley Snook whose work "VHD VHD" is showcased in Issue 11 of Comparative Media Arts Journal: Heterotopias. The publication is available now for online viewing.
"IN STOCK SHIPS TODAY” by Emily Cadotte | #artLAB Publication
March 17, 2022
The Artlab Gallery is pleased to present a new publication series that features writing by visual arts students, in response to our exhibition programming. Our first edition features the text “IN STOCK SHIPS TODAY” by Emily Cadotte, written for Aryen Hoekstra’s exhibition “Untitled (open gallery).” Copies will be available at the Artlab Gallery reception desk Tuesday, March 22!
Derek Liddington: The trees weep, the mountain still, the bodies rust | Musée d’art de Joliette
February 06, 2022
Congratulations to Derek Liddington, current studio-based PhD student and MFA '07 alum for his exhibition, "The trees weep, the mountain still, the bodies rust" on view February 5 - May 15, 2022 at Musée d’art de Joliette in Lanaudière, Quebec. Image: Derek Liddington, It was a foot. It was a flower. It was rust. It is movement. It is still. It was movement. It was still, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist and Daniel Faria Gallery. Photo by Jack McCombe
Neutral: Rylee Rumble | Necessary Arts
January 19, 2022
Congratulations to first-year MFA student Rylee Rumble, whose exhibition "Neutral" is on view January 10 - 24, 2022 at Necessary Arts in Guelph, Ontario.
“...and this book is a straight line in space” | Cohen Commons Gallery
January 19, 2022
“...and this book is a straight line in space” is a group exhibition that features work by Helen Abbot, Masha Kouznetsova, Suarjan Prasai, Matthew Samuelson, Sean Sokolov which grapples with the difficulty involved in expressing the inexpressible.
Sometimes in the night, the fox slips by | Artlab Gallery
January 19, 2022
Studio Ph.D. candidates from the Department of Visual Arts present Sometimes in the night, the fox slips by, a group exhibition of recent work by Anahí González, Philip Gurrey, Dong-Kyoon Nam and Sasha Opeiko. The show gathers a broad spectrum of investigations sharing a common interest in the relationship between poetic and theoretical potential in making. Some orient themselves toward the political, looking at labour issues both in Canada and abroad. Others probe the language of modernism with strategies centred on improvisation and decay. Others still, use a posthumanist perspective to deconstruct notions of the readymade or to renegotiate representations of melancholy. In concert they are the fox of John Burnside’s poem, deftly weaving a path through fence and thicket.
de Lazzer on Larkin, 'Overcoming Niagara: Canals, Commerce, and Tourism in the Niagara-Great Lakes Borderland Region, 1792–1837'
December 21, 2021
PhD candidate, Sonya deLazzer published a review of Janet Dorothy Larkin's book 'Overcoming Niagara: Canals, Commerce, and Tourism in the Niagara-Great Lakes Borderland Region, 1792–1837'. It is available for review on h-net.
Reworlding | tba Journal of Art, Media, and Visual Culture
tba journal , December 13, 2021tba Journal of Art, Media, and Visual Culture is an annual peer-reviewed journal organized by graduate students of the Visual Arts Department at Western University. This issue began in the middle of the journey of our pandemic life when our paths felt lost. This issue's six art submissions and twelve essays explore reworlding in fascinating ways, including representational possibilities in landscape photography, post-anthropocentric visuality, Indigenous apocalyptic futures, Muslim diasporic experiences, posthumanist understanding of natural phenomena, landscape and cinematic spectatorship, trauma and imagined times, Indigenous Wonderworks in the 1980s, affective orientations, imaginative geographies, and sculptural self-portraits. Visit our website to check out the issue and/or learn about tba Journal.
Call for Papers: The Scattered Pelican
December 12, 2021
The Scattered Pelican (The Graduate Journal of Comparative Literature) invites the submission of scholarly papers and critical book reviews for the next issue in 2022.
Michelle Wilson | SpokenWeb Podcast
December 01, 2021
SpokenWeb is a monthly podcast that shares audio stories from the literary archives and contemporary responses to them created by scholars, poets, students, and artists from across Canada. The December episode features PhD candidate, Michelle Wilson, who uses archival records to trace what happened to the plains bison whose descendants are in most conservation herds across Turtle Island. The sound works in this episode are part of Michelle’s work “Forced Migration” in the GardenShip and State exhibition on display at Museum London. SpokenWeb will be hosting an online listening party to launch the episode on December 6th from 3:00- 4:30. Join us to listen together on Zoom, followed by a Q&A with Michelle Wilson and sound designer Angus Cruikshank.
Exhibition Catalog: Symphony of Lights: An Exploration of the Stained Glass Windows in St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, London, Ontario
November 29, 2021
Prof. Cody Barteet and PhD students Ira Kazi and Anahí González have produced an exhibition catalogue for Symphony of Lights: An Exploration of the Stained Glass Windows in St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, London, Ontario. which is now available for viewing online.
Eeva Siivonen: I left parts of myself everywhere | Artlab Gallery
November 18, 2021
"I left parts of myself everywhere" an exhibition by PhD candidate, Eeva Siivonen will open November 25 in the Artlab Gallery. "I left parts of myself everywhere" transforms the gallery into a moving image environment. The interconnected installations speak to the experience of dislocation and fractured relationship to body, language, and place. They trace the deep yet precarious connections that emerge between human and nonhuman bodies and ecosystems; connections that are constantly both found and severed. The exhibition maps an experiential space that is both permeated with vitality and haunted by personal and ecological loss. Image credit: we belonged to each other, Still from a video installation, 2021.
Water is Life: A Visit with GardenShip & State | WordsFest
November 17, 2021
Museum London and Words are pleased to present an evening visit with GardenShip & State, an exhibition of artists and curators who are investigating the role of water as a life-giving force as we face the Anthropocene. Water is Life: A Visit with GardenShip & State Hosts: Patrick Mahon and Jeff Thomas Featuring Lori Blondeau, Tom Cull, Michael Farnan, Amelia Fay, Joan Greer, Mark Kasumovic, Mary Mattingly, Adrian Stimson, Andres Villar, and Michelle Wilson
tba: Journal of Art, Media, and Visual Culture celebrate 2021 issue "Reworlding"
tba: Journal of Art, Media, and Visual Culture , November 16, 2021Join tba: Journal of Art, Media, and Visual Culture's zoom event to celebrate the launch of our 2021 issue, "Reworlding". In this informal and fun event, we will talk about how the issue became a reality, hear some of our wonderful contributors talk about their submissions, and answer audience questions! If you can, please join us Wednesday, December 1st, 2021 at 4 PM EST
Save the date for -AND-, a 12-hour online event | Christof Migone
October 25, 2021
-AND- follows on last year’s inaugural event YOU-, also on December 12. Each year of this 12-year long project the event moves through the following 12-word phrase one word at a time: ‘you and I are water earth fire air of life and death’ and activates the word of the year in myriad ways. With Po-Hao Chi, Béchard Hudon, Erika DeFreitas & Adrian Piper, Different From The One You Are In Now (Mary Walling Blackburn, Allison Cameron, Barbara Campbell, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Darren Copeland, Renato Grieco, Michaela Grill, Sarah Hennies, Marla Hlady, Seth Kim-Cohen, Francisco Meirino, Salomé Voegelin), Anna Friz & Jeff Kolar, James Greer & Neil Luck, Byungjun Kwon, Renée Lear, LoVid, Ellen Moffat & Eeva Siivonen, Merlin Nova, Milo Thesiger-Meacham, They are all of them themselves and they repeat it and I hear it (Anna Barham & Irene Revell), undo (Christof Migone & Alexandre St-Onge). Organized by Christof Migone. Presented by Alt Space Loop, Arraymusic, Avatar, CRiSAP, Errant Bodies Press, Fado, Radius, Resonance Extra, squint.press, Wave Farm, Western University, Zone Sound Creative.
Courted: Imogen Clendinning | Forest City Film Festival
October 22, 2021
"Courted" by MA Candidate, Imogen Clendinning with be included in the Forest City Film Festival, Experimental Film Program #25, on Sunday October 24th, at 12pm EST. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers The screening will take place in person at TAP Centre for Creativity.
ECH and Edna Press | Vancouver Art Book Fair
October 18, 2021
Embassy Cultural House partners with Edna Press (PhD candidate Ruth Skinner) to participate in the 2021 Vancouver Art Book Fair. This virtual event runs from Oct 18 - 26, and our virtual table features ECH and Edna titles with titles from ECH members and partners. Highlights include: a recent artists' multiple by PhD candidates Anahí González and Andreas Buchwaldt for The Other Neighbour of El Otro Lado; Sheila Butler - Other Circumstances, the exhibition catalogue organized with Patrick Mahon and Department alum Sarah Charette; Hiding In Plain Sight, edited by PhD candidate Shelley Kopp for artist and adjunct faculty member Ron Benner's compelling virtual exhibition of the same name. View the ECH/Edna table here and be sure to check out the VABF's excellent program of talks and workshops.
Sowing Clay: A Community Memorial | Facilitated by Michelle Wilson and Paul Chartrand
October 15, 2021
Sowing Clay brings together communities to create a memorial to land and water defenders killed protecting the more-than-human. Paul Chartrand and Michelle Wilson lead this collaborative project, which calls on participants from across Turtle Island to create a monumental installation. When completed, this memorial will comprise a chain of over 700 open links formed from unfired, locally gathered clay. Each link in the chain will carry one etched name and native seeds mixed into the clay body. When joined together, the links resemble intertwined arms, harkening to non-violent resistance movements and protests. Sign up to join one of the workshops at Support Gallery between October 20th – November 6th.
GardenShip and State Panel Discussion with Paul Chartrand and Michelle Wilson | Art Now! and Museum London
October 14, 2021
In partnership with Museum London, Art Now! is pleased to present a panel discussion with Paul Chartrand (MFA'17) and Michelle Wilson (PhD Candidate) moderated by Patrick Mahon, Western professor and curator of "GardenShip and State." October 21, 7PM in room MC-105B (open to Western students only). A recording will be made available to the public following the event.
Aryen Hoekstra: Untitled (moving objects) | Artlab Gallery
October 14, 2021
PhD Candidate, Aryen Hoekstra's "Untitled (moving objects)" (2021) is an installation of provisional sculptures created from 12 moving blankets and a number of objects found in the gallery that have previously had direct contact with artworks. The blankets, wrap and gloves acknowledge the materially fragile nature of the works that have and will enter this exhibition space, their dual existences as both artwork and object, and their always potential profanation.
The Botanical Turn Panel Discussion
McIntosh Gallery & Art Now! , October 13, 2021In case you missed it, a recording of The Botanical Turn panel discussion hosted on Zoom in partnership with the Western University Department of Visual Arts Art Now! Speaker Series is now posted online. Moderated by exhibition curator Dr. Helen Gregory, The Botanical Turn artists discussed how plants and botanical imagery have informed their art practices.
Centre for Sustainable Curating Reading Group
Centre for Sustainable Curating , October 13, 2021Join postdoctoral fellows Zoë Heyn-Jones and Amanda White for a series of virtual meetings over the coming year as we discuss books on our research reading lists. For the fall term, we welcome those interested and invite you to join us for a casual discussion of either or both of the following books: Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown (2017) and A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None by Kathryn Yusoff (2019)
GardenShip and State | Museum London
Museum London , October 07, 2021GardenShip and State is now open at Museum London! The exhibition features works produced over a two-year period – the results of conversations between the artists and writers, oftentimes with members of their local communities. GardenShip and State was curated by Jeff Thomas and Visual Arts Professor Patrick Mahon and features several Department of Visual Arts students and alumni.
Durational Reading of the TRC Report
Centre for Sustainable Curating , September 23, 2021The postdoctoral fellows at the Centre for Sustainable Curating in the Department of Visual Arts in collaboration with the Theatre Studies at Western program invite you to join us in a durational reading of the executive summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report (TRC), part of an initiative by the Canadian Association for Theatre Research. Join us on Zoom every Wednesday from 11-am-12pm EDT/EST beginning on 29 September 2021 to read the document out loud together until completion. Registration required.
Exhibition Review: Intercambio/Exchange at Support Project Space
By
Kim Neudorf ,Akimbo , September 22, 2021Organized by the Embassy Cultural House as part of their recently revitalized series of socially engaged community projects in London and beyond, Intercambio/Exchange at Support Project Space highlights local artists Ron Benner, Patricia Deadman, Duncan DeKergommeaux, Mireya Folch-Serra, Anahí González, Gildo Gonzalez, Jamelie Hassan, Carlos Lores, Kim Moodie, Oscar Ortiz, Jenna Rose Sands, and Jean Spence – all of whose work has past and present ties with specific sites in Mexico, such as Oaxaca, Mexico City, Merida, San Miguel de Allende, and Saltillo. Intercambio/Exchange at Support Project Space is on view September 27 to October 18, 2021. Image: Anahi Gonzalez, Always Fresco, 2021, inkjet print.
Dual exhibitions: Night on Earth and Simulation
Satellite Project Space , September 15, 2021A dual exhibition of works by our Department's 2nd-year MFA candidates, Michelle Paterok and Brianne Casey opened September 15, 2021 at Satellite Project Space and is on view until September 25, 2021. ⠀
Exhibit brings attention to bison eradication
By
Keri Ferguson ,Western News , September 10, 2021PhD candidate Michelle Wilson leads exhibition, symposium that explore ties between bison and colonialism
"Decolonizing Pop Art: Hatecopy and the South Asian Canadian Experience"
By
Ira Kazi ,The Scattered Pelican , September 08, 2021PhD candidate, Ira Kazi published an article in the summer issue of The Scattered Pelican. In this paper, Ira examines the works of Toronto-based artist Maria Qamar (1991-), who is also known as Hatecopy. Qamar, who is half-Bengali and half-Gujrati, was born in Pakistan and moved to Canada at a young age. Through her satirical Pop Art inspired works, she explores the complex negotiation of cultural identity and gives a much-needed voice to those navigating South Asian diasporic identity in Western society.
Sentient Surrealism: Examining the Postmodern Art of Tommy Bourque
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Ana Moyer ,August 31, 2021 , August 31, 2021In this commissioned exhibition essay, Ph.D. student Ana Moyer considers artist and recent MFA graduate Tommy Bourque's Marvelous Monsters within the context of art historical references, "visuals of the tentacular," and pressing climate concerns.
Artlab Gallery re-opens by appointment
Artlab Gallery , July 14, 2021The Artlab is pleased to be able to open to appointments for the last day of Tommy Bourque's exhibition, Friday, July 16th, 2021. To schedule your visit, please do so online using the link below. If you have questions or are seeking additional information regarding your next visit to the gallery, feel free to reach out to the Gallery Manager at rskinne6@uwo.ca For ongoing coverage of COVID-19 protocol and operations at Western University, visit https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/
Anahí González: The Other Neighbour of El Otro Lado | Artlab Gallery
Artlab Gallery , July 14, 2021The Other Neighbour of El Otro Lado explores themes of Mexican migration in Canada, engaging with ideas of human labour and various indexes of Mexican culture, trade, and economic exchange. With two simultaneous exhibitions in two locations: the Artlab (London, ON, Canada) and El NODO (Saltillo, COAH, Mexico), the show echoes the importance of creating a visual narrative between both countries to decenter the United States narrative concerning Mexican migration.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Tommy Bourque | Artlab Gallery
Artlab Gallery , June 21, 2021"Marvelous Monsters" presents speculative worlds and speculative figures. Tommy Bourque’s MFA thesis exhibition is a mirror of what it is like to be alive: he wants viewers to connect and engage with his work to confront their understanding of their own embodiment and of their own lived experiences 'as' bodies and 'in' bodies.
Ellen Moffat: becoming again beginning undone | McIntosh Gallery
McIntosh Gallery , June 18, 2021becoming again beginning undone an exhibition by PhD candidate, Ellen Moffat will open virtually beginning June 24 on McIntosh Gallery’s social media and website. In the exhibition, small sounds, image, text, rhythms, and tonalities bleed into and mix with each other, transgressing the borders of the gallery space.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Faith Patrick | McIntosh Gallery
McIntosh Gallery , June 18, 2021'The No No-Exit Closet' Faith Patrick, an MFA Thesis Exhibition hosted by McIntosh Gallery will open virtually beginning June 24 on McIntosh Gallery’s social media and website, where exhibition documentation and virtual walk-throughs will be posted through the exhibitions’ duration.
Rebecca Sutherland: Fleet | Artlab Gallery
May 27, 2021
What do we lose through our continuous pursuits of permanence? What might we be missing along the way? Rebecca Sutherland's thesis exhibition, Fleet, makes use of floral material deemed commercially undesirable in a poetic and inventive collaboration with the passage of time and the shifting qualities of lived and imagined spaces.
Ioana Dragomir: to all on whom the blazing | Satellite Project Space
May 27, 2021
The noonday demon forges summertime into a long ruinous torpor, an endless day of indisputable midday twilight. It thaws my spine, splintering in waves, dividing quantum particles in my retina. Black light seeps through all matter, eating through surfaces, perforating walls, streaming through corners. Dissolved vitreous humor, refracting everywhere. The brightness is so thick in its transparency that I see the darkness of cosmic void shimmering behind it in infinite planes. I look at my arms on the bleached carpet, my flesh embedded in broiling photons, stretching through levels of matter and nothingness, sweating, withered reflections. Cups, papers, furniture, hair, dust, all film, all surface, all the way through, radiating as if the sun was underground, stirring with electric velocity. Albedo, nigredo, suspended in exacting putrefaction. The noonday demon speaks in liquid vision, feeds on my hours, spews a diffused gaze of open horror. At night the heat continues its entropic curse until dawn. Shade is just another form of brightness. All senses become black light, doomed in scorching resonance of leaves and crickets and cicadas and other lives, luminous textures pouring over, lustrous scents of dusty vapour, dehydration glowing on my tongue. Phonemes dried up, inarticulate, I am all image. Exhibition text written by Sasha Opeiko
Digital Feature: Matt W. Brown - "On Ground"
May 13, 2021
Recent MFA graduate Matt W. Brown tours us though his recent thesis exhibition, On Ground. Hear Matt discuss the deeply personal events and emotions that underlie this body of work. Matt also shares his formal and material considerations of colour as well as our embodied and perceptive experiences colour.
Stop Extinction! Restore the Earth | ECH and Gardenship and State
April 30, 2021
The Embassy Cultural House (ECH) and GardenShip and State are pleased to present a virtual group exhibition Stop Extinction! Restore the Earth to celebrate Earth Day, April 22, 2021. Work in the exhibit features several artists from the Department of Visual Arts, within the ECH community and Gardenship and State participating artists. Artworks in the exhibit address the broad issues related to the climate crisis, and other threats to our ecology. Works also address the intersection of sustainable living and the respect for Indigenous land rights. Registration Required.
Digital Features: His House Will Leak | Cohen Commons
April 28, 2021
“In my telling, the Cyclops’ story is a revenge story…." View a video tour of His House Will Leak, currently installed in the Cohen Commons and created by students in Professor Kirsty Robertson's graduate seminar, "Museum/Decay." The video is narrated by Ioana Dragomir and the exhibition features works by Sarah Charette, Ioana Dragomir, Philip Gurrey, Ana Moyer, Dong-Kyoon Nam, Sasha Opeiko, Tessa Oxtoby and Elena Solomon.
Matt W. Brown: On Ground | Artlab Gallery
April 16, 2021
Matt W. Brown’s MFA thesis exhibition, On Ground, exhibits a series of paintings began as an effort to locate oneself during a period of profound grief. Through material investigation and evaporation, these paintings are what remains of an immanent departure: something akin to empty containers, wrappers or envelopes. While the water responsible for the markings left behind on the paper surface is removed, its invisible presence as vapour is called to mind through trace.
Written on Earth | McIntosh Gallery
March 04, 2021
The McIntosh Gallery will be re-opening the gallery by appointment with "Written on Earth" a group exhibition curated by Helen Gregory and project managed by Patrick Mahon, presented in collaboration with the Northern Tornadoes project at Western Engineering. The exhibition features work by Hannah Claus, Joel Ong, and several members of the Department of Visual Arts including, Prof. Patrick Mahon, Ph.D. candidates Ellen Moffat & Eeva Siivonen, and MFA Alum Matthew Trueman.
tba: Call for Submissions
February 25, 2021
tba, the graduate students' journal of the Department of Visual Arts at Western University is pleased to announce the call for papers/art submissions for the upcoming issue of tba. This issue will explore the meanings of and themes pertaining to the idea of reworlding. We view reworlding as a concerted and collaborative effort to reimagine our spaces by building upon a deconstructed, decentered, unfixed understanding of a world changeable by art that puts forth alternative temporal and spatial possibilities. This kind of reworlding offers possibilities of rethinking of ideas of unity by generating a multiplicity of futures with which to affect the present. Send us your thoughtful investigations, careful evaluations, and creative assessments of the concept of reworlding. Articles and artworks (sound, video, photography, paintings, drawings) are welcome! Deadline for submissions is Friday, April 30, 2021.
Symphony of Lights | Artlab Gallery
Artlab Gallery , February 04, 2021Upcoming at the Artlab is Symphony of Lights: An Exploration of Stained-Glass Windows in St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, London, ON. In this exciting collaboration, artist Anahí González, curator Iraboty Kazi, and Dr. C. Cody Barteet explore the visual and aural sensations of being inside St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in London, Ontario. Videos and photographs taken by González during visits to the church inspire explorations of the stained-glass windows in relation to art and local history. This exhibition is a part of Dr. Barteet’s research program, "Preserving the Cultural and Artistic Heritage of St. John the Evangelist, London, Ontario as a Model for the Anglican Diocese of Huron," a project funded by the University of Western Ontario.
Art, up-close and from a distance
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Debora Van Brenk ,Western News , February 04, 2021Gallery Manager Ruth Skinner discusses the recent exhibition 'Distance makes the heart grow weak" with Western News. Learn more about how the pandemic promoted a show of 'seperate togtherness'.
tba: Journal of Art, Media and Visual Culture | 2nd Edition
tba: Journal of Art, Media and Visual Culture , December 15, 2020The Visual Arts graduate students’ journal, tba: journal of art, media, and visual culture will release its second annual edition on Wednesday, December 16th! The theme is Splinter and the journal contains contributions from writers and artists in Canada and the US.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Jérôme Conquy
December 01, 2020
Satellite Project Space presents MFA candidate Jérôme Conquy's thesis exhibition, "Pharmakon: Acts, Traces, and Maps" December 9 to December 12, 2020
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Sepideh Tajalizadeh Dashti
October 25, 2020
The Artlab Gallery is pleased to present MFA candidate Sepideh Tajalizadeh Dashti’s thesis exhibition, "To Be Me" October 26 to November 12, 2020.
http://store.tongue.beautiful.goods.temporary.feet.web/ | MFA Exhibition
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Artlab Gallery , October 05, 2020Second year MFA Exhibition on view at Artlab Gallery, featuring the works of Anahí González, Rebecca Sutherland, Declan Hoy, Tommy Bourque and Faith Patrick. The Artlab Gallery and Cohen Commons are operating virtually. In-person visits are not permitted at this time, please visit our website for images of the exhibition and follow our social media for upcoming virtual exhibition tours.
MFA Exhibition: Matt W. Brown| McIntosh Gallery
McIntosh Gallery , September 01, 2020Ask Ellis, by MFA candidate Matt W. Brown is on view now at the McIntosh Gallery. An appointment is required to view this exhibition. Please contact James Patten at jpatten2@uwo.ca to schedule your visit.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: George Kubresli | Artlab
Artlab Gallery , August 12, 2020The Artlab Gallery is pleased to reopen by appointment with MFA candidate George Kubresli’s thesis exhibition, The Hell of a Boiling Red. On view August 13 – August 27, 2020, please e-mail artlab@uwo.ca to schedule your visit.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Ramolen Laruan | Zalucky Contemporary
Zalucky Contemporary , August 12, 2020'still, unfolding' Ramolen Laruan, an MFA Thesis Exhibition hosted by Zalucky Contemporary (Toronto) is on view August 14 – 22, 2020. The Gallery is open Friday and Saturday 1-6PM or by appointment. For more information or to schedule a visit, please see www.zaluckycontemporary.com
Western Students featured in new publication by Blackwood Gallery
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Greenwood UTM ,Blackwood Gallery , August 04, 2020Ashley Snook (PhD candidate) and Lele Lin (4th year Undergrad in Visual Art and Art History) were recently included in a new digital publication, 'Time Out' published by students from Greenwood UTM at Blackwood Gallery. Read the full publication online.
MFA Thesis Exhibition: Yas Nik Khoshgrudi | McIntosh Gallery
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McIntosh Gallery , July 10, 2020"Prototype for the Soul" traces the relationship between traditional literary narrative texts and digital media. MFA Thesis exhibition by Yas Nik Khoshgrudi is on view July 10-24 at the McIntosh Gallery. Please note: An appointment is required to view this exhibition. Please contact James Patten at jpatten2@uwo.ca to schedule your visit.
Message from Undergraduate Chair Tricia Johnson
June 09, 2020
Congratulations to our Undergraduate Class of 2020 and welcome to the Alumni Western Family! Thank you to everyone who has shared news about where they will be headed next year. Here are a few successes we'd like to highlight, if we've missed you, please email visarts@uwo.ca and we'll include your news.
Postponed: Open Studios | Department of Visual Arts
March 10, 2020
Please note that this event has been postponed. We have made this decision to ensure the health and safety of our visitors and campus community.
MSC Grad Conference
March 10, 2020
Curious about grad school? Not sure where to begin? Come out to the MSC's very first grad conference to hear from some of the brightest and most knowledgeable minds in the Department of Visual Arts! Join us from 6-8pm on Tuesday March 10th in room 100 of the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre.
Exhibition ‘zeros’ in on Fuller’s view of world | Western News
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Deborah Van Brenk ,Western News , March 02, 2020Visual Arts professor Kirsty Roberston, Director of Museum and Curatorial Studies, has led students in creating an exhibition reflecting on the vision of architect Buckminster Fuller. The nine students created individual projects and managed different aspects of the exhibition, including writing essays, graphic design, promotion, marketing and fundraising.
Together We Average As Zero / Take 1 | Artlab
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Artlab Gallery , February 24, 2020Join us for the opening reception of an exhibition was curated by students in MCS4605E, our Museum and Curatorial Studies Practicum Class. Opening Reception: Thursday, February 27 from 5-7PM, at the Artlab Gallery. The exhibition continues February 27 - March 12, 2020
ANEW | Cohen Commons
Cohen Commons , February 23, 2020Join us Thursday, February 27 from 5-7PM for the opening reception of ANEW in the Cohen Commons Gallery. Curated by MA candidate Harper Wellman. Featuring artwork by: Anahí Gonzáles, Kimerlyn Hawkins, Avery Lafortune, Ramolen Laruan, Rebecca Sutherland, and Michelle Wilson The reception will be held in conjunction with the opening for "Together We Average As Zero / Take 1" in the Artlab.
Call for Submissions: tba Journal 2020
tba journal , February 10, 2020tba invites exploration of ideas around “splinter.” By definition, “splinter” is a noun describing a thing that pierces and disrupts, or is a verb that conveys the action of shattering. A splinter is also a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected, and becomes lodged. Submissions are due April 1, 2020. Visit the tba journal website to see past issues and learn more about submitting your work.
Launch Party for Femme Art Review | Cohen Commons
Cohen Commons , February 02, 2020Co-presented by the Museum Studies Collective & Femme Art Review: join us for the launch of Femme Art Review's first print issue as well as the launch the 2020 MSC winter journal presented in partnership with the Artlab! 6:00-7:30pm on February 6th, 2020. Karalyn Reuben will be doing an artist talk for the launch at 6:30pm.
Art Now! Presents: Jamelie Hassan & Ruth Skinner
January 27, 2020
Art Now! Presents: Jamelie Hassan & Ruth Skinner; Presented in partnership with SASAH. Thursday, January 30, 2020 in Conron Hall, UC 3110.
To Dwell, To Remember | Cohen Commons
Cohen Commons , January 17, 2020To Dwell, To Remember is an exhibition consisting of four artists and Western MFA candidates exploring notions of 'home' predominantly from a feminist perspective. How do we define what makes a home after migrating from elsewhere, whether intentionally or due to displacement? January 9 - January 23, 2020 Reception: Thursday, January 9 from 5-7PM
Facilities Renewal: The Digital Creativity Lab – Opening Spring 2020
January 14, 2020
In response to increased need for digital production and presentation space, The Department of Visual Arts will be undergoing a renovation in January-March 2020 to create a new “Digital Creativity Lab”. This new flex-space will facilitate student and faculty photo, video, audio, and digital production and presentation.
Suppose they are all put together | Artlab
Artlab Gallery , January 08, 2020"Suppose they are all put together" presents recent works by Aryen Hoekstra, Ellen Moffat, Eeva Siivonen, Ashley Snook, and Michelle Wilson. The artists are studio Ph.D. candidates at the Department of Visual Arts. January 9 – 23, 2020, Opening Reception: Thursday, January 9 from 5-7pm