Tag: exhibition

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Arts

Montreal in Love: Embracing Diversity takes a look at love

New exhibition part of 375th anniversary celebrations highlights love in all forms

Uplifting is the word that comes to mind when walking into the Montreal in Love: Embracing Diversity exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). The walls are covered with pictures of happy couples and families smiling, laughing and spending time together.

Aside from the feelings of happiness and love that come through the portraits, the other common element between all of these different couples and families is that they are all interracial.

During her inauguration speech, Marie-Christine Ladouceur, the project manager for Montreal In Love, said she wanted to represent the city’s diversity in the most authentic way—and what better way than with the people who embody this diversity. “Talking about diversity through love is a language that everyone can understand,” said Ladouceur.

The exhibition is part of a series of year-long festivities currently taking place to celebrate Montreal’s 375th anniversary. The goal of the exhibition is to showcase the unique social diversity present in Montreal.

The exhibition features 30 couples and families who were photographed in locations they thought represented them well, such as at home or outside. Some video installations also offer a more in-depth look at their relationships. Very short written excerpts from interviews accompany the photos to give a snapshot into life for these interracial and interreligious couples, exploring the challenges they face and how they overcome these challenges.

New series of photographic works highlight the diversity of love in the city.

For one couple, Youssef Shoufan and Manu Alix, being part of this project gave them a chance to look at their relationship through a different lens. When initially approached for the project, Shoufan did not see the relevance of showcasing interracial love, as it was part of everyday life for him. Only after being involved in the project and encountering other interracial couples did he come to understand the importance of talking about this unique type of relationship.

For Alix, who was born in South Korea and adopted by a Québécois family, the interview portion of the project allowed her to rethink what being in an intercultural relationship means to her, as well as rethink her ties to her own culture. “It allowed me to crystallize my identity in the sense that, I grew up outside of Montreal and I thought I was white when I was younger… Arriving to Montreal meant for me to reconcile myself with another part of my identity… one that is being part of a visible minority, of diversity,” says Alix.

Montreal in Love also allowed Montreal photographers Jacques Nadeau and Mikaël Theimer to get up close and personal with the featured couples and families. The two photographers witnessed intimate moments shared between people, and, according to Theimer, that’s what he loves about photography. “It’s not photography that I love, it’s the places where my camera allows me to enter that I love—in the intimacy of a couple, in private events, behind the curtains at a show, in the hospital,” said Theimer.

While the exhibition shines a light on the everyday life of many Montrealers, Alix said, “I dream of the day where we won’t need projects like these to underline the importance or the beauty of diversity.”

Montreal in Love runs at the MMFA until Feb. 19.

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Student Life

Showing Montrealers real Saudi culture

Photo by Sarah Boumedda

The Montreal Saudi Student Association organized its second annual Saudi Exhibition

The Montreal Saudi Student Association held its second annual Saudi Exhibition on Nov. 14, in partnership with Concordia’s Saudi Student Association.

“Today’s event is about [promoting] Saudi culture,” said Sawsan Alshayeb, a volunteer and member of Concordia’s Saudi Student Association. “We want to showcase our culture… so people can see how [Saudis] really are and how we love our country, and [we] want to show it in a positive way so that people can enjoy it.”

The event was held in Concordia’s EV Building lobby, from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m., and attracted many curious eyes. In order to promote Saudi heritage, different kiosks were set up, each displaying an aspect of Saudi culture. Some kiosks offered attendees free food, most of which were typical Saudi delicacies.

The menu included traditional dishes like Saudi pastries and maamoun, which are small cakes. The large table also displayed cupcakes decorated with Montreal Saudi Student Association’s official logo.

Attendees could also buy honey, imported directly from the Asir province of Saudi Arabia. Other promotional products were offered, such as information brochures on various touristic regions of Saudi Arabia, as well as coffee mugs and other accessories.

A kiosk that caught the attention of many was the Arabic calligraphy kiosk, where many attendees, students and teachers alike, lined up to have their name written in Arabic by a professional calligrapher. The henna kiosk was also particularly popular.

Photo by Sarah Boumedda

The main point of attraction at the event, however, was the immense tent set up near the entrance of the EV building. Inside, The Concordian was welcomed by Mohammad Alhumaidhi, a student and volunteer at the event.

“That’s the actual tent [which] we go out [camping] with, in Saudi Arabia,” said Alhumaidhi, motioning to the heavy pieces of fabric enclosing the area around him. “We brought it from Saudi Arabia for this event specifically.”

The displayed tent was four meters long by four metres wide in size, the standard size for one of those traditional camping tents, said Alhumaidhi. He added that the fabrics that make up the tents differ, depending on the environment in which they were used. Thicker materials suit the colder mountainous regions of the country, whereas the thinner, fur-covered fabrics are more useful in the desert, where they can block the sandy winds.

In the tent, volunteers like Alhumaidhi were draped in a thobe, the traditional Saudi dress for men, and wearing a ghutra, a traditional headdress. Each of them welcomed curious students and Concordia teachers, teaching them about traditions of Saudi culture while sitting on one of the numerous decorated cushions that surrounded the area inside the tent. Attendees could learn about Arab coffee and tea, as well as traditional Arab music and singing.

For Alhumaidhi, the Saudi Exhibition is an extremely important event, and goes beyond simple promotion of his native country. “A lot of people hear about Saudi Arabia, and they don’t know [much] except for the image they see [in the media],” Alhumaidhi said. “They don’t know the real Saudi Arabia.”

Photo by Sarah Boumedda

“We [Saudis] live in houses, we drive cars. A lot of people think that we still ride horses in the streets. And I’m not joking at all. A lot of people are surprised that I drive a car,” he said. “Of course I do, it’s 2016!”

Preconceived ideas of Saudis and Arabs don’t just limit themselves to car driving. “I hear people come up to me and say, ‘Oh wow, you’re funny, you’re from Saudi Arabia, you’re Muslim—how is that possible?’ I’m a human being, I’m allowed to be funny,” said Alhumaidhi.

Indeed, representation of Arabs and Muslims in Western media is often negative, “depicting Muslims generally as violent, fanatical, bigoted, or as extremists and terrorists,” according to Belinda F. Espiritu in a paper published in Global Research in 2015. Espiritu is a researcher and an associate professor of communications at the University of the Philippines.

Espiritu said this negative image results in fear among the Western population—something Alhumaidhi has experienced himself.

Photo by Sarah Boumedda

“A lot of people get scared when they look at me wearing what I’m wearing right now,” he said, motioning to his traditional Saudi dress. “[If I’m] walking in the street, people move away from me. People literally move away from me, because they’re scared.”

Alhumaidhi believes such an event is necessary to eradicate this fear and inform people about real Arab culture.

“Saudis are not angry,” he said in a cheerful tone. “We smile, we love camping and singing, drinking coffee.”

Although this is only the second edition of the Saudi Exhibition, both the Montreal Saudi Student Association and Concordia’s Saudi Student Association are determined to keep up this annual event, in the hopes of teaching as many people as possible about Saudi culture.

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Arts

Björk Digital debuts in Montreal

Virtual reality is a main component of the exhibition, which is making its North American debut.

Take a virtual reality tour through Iceland with Björk’s newest album, Vulicura

From a dark cave to the vast, rock-covered beaches of Iceland—and all through the realm of music and digital space—that’s exactly what Björk Digital is all about. It is an exhibition that takes the term “audiovisual” to a whole other level.

Björk Digital allows the audience to experience Björk’s music in a unique, singular way. The highlight of the show resides in the virtual reality (VR) installations that make up the biggest part of the exhibition. The Montreal exhibition is the North American premiere of the project, which previously toured Sydney, Tokyo and London.

Each of the five VR installations feature a song taken from the Icelandic singer’s latest album, Vulnicura. They are more than simple music videos: each work offers a new perspective on the artist’s music that is simply impossible to experience anywhere else. For the most part, the installations are each about nine minutes long and can welcome 25 visitors at once.

“Black Lake” opens the exhibition. Using the Oculus Rift, a head-mounted VR display apparatus, and headphones, this installation takes the audience through the depths of a dark cave, where two screens are mounted against opposite walls of the cave. Each screen displays a different angle from which we can see Björk singing and dancing with disheartening emotion—at first sharing the same cave space, then moving to the outside world. “Black Lake” is a good piece to start with: it familiarizes the audience with Björk’s music, without it being overwhelming or too unsettling. The piece is almost peaceful, setting the mood for what is yet to come.

The following installation, “Stonemilker,” consists of a total 360-degree VR experience. In other words, we are immersed in the video. We can see the beach in which the video is set in no matter direction we turn. That aspect is explored heavily in the music video—as the song progresses, Björk keeps moving around the viewers, sometimes even duplicating herself and appearing at two, three or four places at once. Each of these representations of the singer are singular and do not imitate each other in movement—it becomes almost confusing at times, as you don’t know where to look and are afraid to miss something.

The last piece, “Family,” directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, is premiering in Montreal and distinguishes itself from the rest of the VR pieces in the project. The experience is different from the previous four, as “Family” is experienced in pairs rather than groups, and requires the viewer to be standing rather than sitting. “Family” is an interactive VR experience. Viewers are invited to walk around the space and grab things as they come to them, all while the landscape changes and the music progresses. This final piece is, without a doubt, the best of the five.

Björk Digital doesn’t limit itself to VR installations, though. The exhibition also presents Biophilia, a project which involves an app on which Björk’s album of the same name is featured along with educational activities relating each of the 10 songs to a scientific concept. Finally, the exhibition closes on Björk Cinema, a room where visitors are invited to sit on the floor and watch a continuous series of Björk’s previous music videos.

The exhibition, Björk Digital, is one of the various events being held in the city by the Red Bull Music Academy from Sept. 24 until Oct. 24. The exhibition is will be held at the DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art until Nov. 12.

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Arts

Women photographers at MMFA

SHE Photographs looks at women through camera lens wielded by female photographers

The first thing you notice when you walk through the SHE Photographs exhibition is the variety of subjects and photographic techniques presented. Everything from still-life photography, to self-portraiture to collage is featured. There are black and white photos and colour ones, lone photographs the size of a wall and some that come in a series, and yet, they all convey a sense of unity.

Each picture addresses a different aspect of being a woman in today’s contemporary society. They grapple with themes such as solitude, old age, relationships and love. The visitor gets snapshots of the artists’ lives and points of view through the photographs, and this creates a very intimate link between the audience and the artists.

Diane Charbonneau is the curator of Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). She said she believes it is important to have an exhibition that focuses solely on work done by women because it allows us to interact more with the feminine perspective. She said it is essential to look at the subjects women address in photography.

As curator for this exhibition, she went through more than 500 pieces and picked ones that present a vast realm of subjects. According to Charbonneau, she was inspired by all the different themes that women address in their photographs and wanted to showcase a wide variety of photos.

This photo of Mrs. Thérèse MacGuire by Claire Beaugrand-Champagne is part of her series “Old People,” and is featured in the SHE Photographs exhibition.

The exhibition features many artists from Canada, mainly Montreal, and abroad. One artist on display is Geneviève Cadieux, an associate professor of photography at Concordia. Cadieux has been featured in multiple national and international exhibitions. In 2011, she was the recipient of the Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Arts. Fascinated by the human body, it is the central subject in much of her work. According to her website, she enjoys focusing on very small details and expanding them into larger elements.

Claire Beaugrand-Champagne is another veteran photographer. Her occupation has taken her to many places around the world, including Italy and Thailand. Beaugrand-Champagne said she uses photography as a way to talk about social issues. In this exhibition, a few pieces from her photography series “Old People” and “Women from Montreal” are on display.

Beaugrand is currently working on a project called “Montrealers,” where she goes to people’s houses and photographs them in their environment. She said she believes where a person lives says a lot about who they are.

Everyone takes pictures these days, Charbonneau said, but this exhibition is a chance for us to take a step back and look at the perspective these women offer us. She said photography is so relatable because we recognize ourselves in each shot.

The SHE Photographs exhibition runs until Feb. 19 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

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Arts

Some things change, summer things remain the same

Photo by Joshua De Costa.

The McCord Museum’s Summer Days! public exhibition takes a look at the simple joys of summers past

Along a short stretch of McGill College Avenue, 13 silver frames house 24 black-and-white photos. These photos, although plain and rustic, catch the eye of passers-by. What their eyes are drawn to are candid snapshots showing how Quebecers in the 1900s spent their summers.

The snapshots are all part of the McCord Museum’s Summer Days! exhibition, which the museum put together by picking these historic gems out of thousands of photos from that era, acquired through family donations.

The photos are a serene sight on a busy street, but they also hold a deeper meaning for Montrealers.

“It’s not just art for art,” said Hélène Samson, McCord Museum’s curator of the Notman Photographic Archives. “The McCord is not a fine arts museum—it is in fact the museum of Montreal’s social history.”

For the past 11 years, the museum has showcased Montreal’s social history by displaying its collection in exhibitions like Summer Days! along McGill College Avenue. The exhibitions are also an opportunity to “uncover the richness and diversity of the museum’s collection,” Samson said.

Not too long ago, one Quebecer saw the photos and discovered her family’s ties to the city’s past. Samson said the girl called the museum, said she recognized her grandmother, Yvette, in one of the photos. “[The whole] family plans to go to Montreal and see the photo where Yvette is camping with a friend,” Samson said.

The photos provide a peek into the past, and they also keep a record of the real moments in Quebecers’ lives. “Unlike studio photos, these spontaneous snapshots capture the joie de vivre of Quebecers on vacation,” said Suzanne Sauvage, McCord Museum’s president and CEO, in a June 2016 press release.

In one photo from 1938, two men, Bob and Albert, both wearing ruffled shirts and suspenders, stand side-by-side in a river in Brockville, Ont. They smile and smoke cigarettes as the water swirls around their ankles. It’s possible that the two men may have been suffering through the Great Depression, but their smiles tell a different story.

In another photo, three young girls, wearing straw sunhats and tartan dresses that extend well past their knees, play barefoot on a beach. The caption reads: “Three young ladies from the Braithwaite family.” If it weren’t for the attire, you wouldn’t be able tell that this photo is over a century old.

Technology may have changed the way Montrealers spend their summers, but what these photos of summers’ past show is that some simple joys remain the same: driving through the countryside, picnicking in a park or snoozing on a beach. 

Steps away, on the corner of Sherbrooke and Victoria Street, the McCord Museum holds the complete collection of photographs, along with more than 1.45 million artefacts which include costumes, textual archives, textiles and artworks.

You can find the Summer Days! photos along McGill College Avenue between Président-Kennedy Street and De Maisonneuve Street until Oct. 16.

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Arts

Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes

Exhibit makes you understand what living with a disability is really like

A big part of the way we live our lives is a question of perspective.  How do you see yourself, the people surrounding you and what you do with what you have? What we call empathy is one of the most beautiful and crucial emotions that human beings are capable of.  Yet, we often forget to think about how other people perceive and live through our world.

See ____ through my eyes tried to palliate to this scarcity of shared understanding. The exhibit organized by Concordia’s Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) presented a unique way to get a glimpse into someone else’s way of life. The artists were all Concordia students registered with the ACSD. Together, they created a mosaic of testimonies about how they experience life–probably a little differently than others. Still, messages of hope and determination that were associated with the photos and pieces of art showed that most of them did not let their disabilities define who they are.

The artists presented understandings of their own disabilities. Photo by Frédéric T. Muckle.

What could have been an exhibit about difficulties and differences turned out to be more of an affirmation of one simple fact of life: how you are born and how you grow up to be should not define who you are; the way you see and live your life should.

As Paul Tshuma, one of the artists of the exhibit, explained in a note by his art, “I may be disabled, but my ability to live life to the fullest is not limited.”

Still, various parts of the exhibition showed and described how certain disabilities may affect one’s day-to-day routine.

It may be confusion for some, others may have trouble with daily tasks, and some may be forced to continuously adapt to their illness.

Nonetheless, most of these statements also bring up one very important necessity: one should never be determined by his or her disability.

After all, are we not all subject to bad experiences in our lives? This does not mean that the weight and seriousness of a disability or illness can be lessened by the everyday anxieties of the average John and Jane Doe.  But in the end, it is possible for anybody to overcome a problem with a bit of help and a lot of determination.

To quote artist Christina Tricarico, “you determine your path, not your disability.”

See ____ through my eyes made an attempt of raising awareness by allowing the people concerned by these issues to share what it really is like dealing with a disability or an illness. It successfully achieves its goal.  It also was definitely more creative and enjoyable for the viewer than dry descriptions and numbers explained by people in white blouses. Fortunately, this kind of participatory creative project seems to be a growing trend, according to the ACSD.

The exhibition can also be seen simply as an opportunity for students to express themselves. Painting, photography and writing can allow the artist inside us a way to better understand ourselves. It also can be used as a form of catharsis. It can help us live through difficult moments of our lives. People need ways to deal with reality, and art, in all its forms, can help.

Azalia Shahidi Kaviani successfully described this in the note accompanying her work: “I found deep peace in my heart in art. That is also one of the reasons why I started to paint. When I paint, I feel like flying like a bird in the heavens.”

Let’s be honest, at some point in our lives we all deserve to be able to let go. Especially when you are a living example of courage and determination, just like the talented artists of See ____ through my eyes.

For more information about Concordia’s Access Centre for Students and possible upcoming events, visit the concordia.ca/students/accessibility.

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Arts

Experience your senses All at Once – literally

Exhibit at VAV Gallery implores viewers to contemplate the sensory possibilities of the human body

Most of us go through life seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling the world around us. But how often do we get to step into a spacious white room where we are asked to experience these senses all at once? Right about now.

All at Once is the current exhibit on display at the VAV Gallery, located in Concordia’s Visual Arts Building on the corner of Crescent St. and René Lévesque Blvd. W. The exhibit features the works of artists Bianca Hlywa, Paul Lofeodo, Jade Seguela, Steven Smith Simard, Julie Tremblay and Jacynthe Cloutier.

Photo by Amanda Macri

The first thing you notice about the exhibit is the silence. Every step, every shift, every sway is echoed and amplified in the minimalist space. Viewers become hyper-aware of their own inhaling and exhaling, and time seems to slow down as a consequence. Footsteps sedate as visitors carefully make their way to the artworks that line the blank walls and those which hang from the bare ceiling. An artwork that captures sight and sound simultaneously is “L’autre” by Jacynthe Cloutier. Here, identical molds of faces and ears are suspended from the ceiling above and strung down on the walls in an imposing way.

The sense of touch manifests itself both physically and emotionally in the exhibit. Emotionally, there is “The Process of Talking to Yourself” by Jade Seguela, which conveys the internal struggle one faces when contemplating overdose; “112 jours/ 112 days” by Steven Smith Simard, which captures a sense of loss and loneliness over a significant amount of time; and “Will and Representation” by Paul Lofeodo, which questions the unrealistic physical expectations of the human body by combining man and mannequin. Physically, there is “Tribute to the Body” by Julie Tremblay. Here, viewers are encouraged to write down their favourite body part using the small sheets of paper and pencils provided and submit their selection into a ballot box.

Up to this point, viewers have experienced sight, sound and touch. However, there seem to be two senses missing, and weren’t you promised to experience them all at once? The final installation does not disappoint. “Plastic Bags from Jerusalem” by Bianca Hlywa is a fully interactive piece. Viewers are asked to remove their shoes prior to entering an intimidating structure made entirely of white painted cardboard. Sight. The bottoms of your feet tense as you walk over a prickly welcome mat. Touch. Once inside, a sign reads “knock for cake” and you do. Sound. A small hatch opens and upon completing a series of instructions, which include putting a plastic bag over your head, a slice of cake is handed to you. Smell. What follows is inevitable. Taste.

All at Once will be featured at the VAV Gallery until Sept. 26. For more information, visit vavgallery.concordia.ca

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Arts News

Grease stains, video games and a dépanneur

The Unreliable Narrator by Kyle Purves.

Graduates from Concordia’s Department of Design and Computation Arts present the Correlate exhibition

Do you remember your first artistic masterpiece? Maybe it was something like a papier-mâché bird or the classic macaroni and glue creation. Do you remember how proud you were when you presented it to a loved one or to your peers? A feeling of pride with a touch of insecurity and anticipation took over any other sensation at this crucial moment.

This was the same feeling that emanated from Concordia’s design and computation arts graduates presenting and offering to the world their own works of art in the Correlate exhibition, which is taking place this weekend. However, in this case their realizations were far more impressive than a babbling kid’s drawing. In this exhibition, the numerous artists and craftsmen displayed an array of various kinds of works. Ranging from interaction design to game concepts, 3D design such as sculptures and furniture, web design, video and sound installations and more traditional visual arts, Correlate seemed to have something for every art amateur.

According to Victoria Byron, the communications coordinator of the event, this variety is quite illustrative of the school from which the students just graduated. “It highlights Concordia’s diversity and everybody’s talent. It really showcases the program very well, very accurately,” Byron said.

Byron also talked about the way most projects presented in the Correlate exhibition echoed themes such as sustainability, social responsibility and ethical production. “Whether it is the theme, the material or the process, it [is illustrated] trough that.”

“Open Wide” by Andreea Vrabie. Photo by writer.

During the two last days of the exhibition, May 2 and 3, fascinating projects will be displayed such as sound and video installations and game design projects.

When uncovering what those talented artists had to offer, looking, interacting and reacting with some cleverly imaginative project, you sometimes felt like you were in a dream. Other times you did not know exactly what you had to deal with, like with the spooky interactive statue that welcomed you on the fourth floor of the Phi Center. At one point, you even had to discover by yourself the beauty and ingenuity of an installation. In all cases, Correlate and the numerous graduates that took part in this exhibition made you sense and understand ideas in peculiar and unique ways. That is why this exposition is perfect for everybody, even people who do not usually attend art exhibits. Correlate is an exhibition that you can experience, not just look at. Children and adults alike will find something to see, to interact with and to like among the about 90 projects displayed in the exhibition.

That is why Correlate should be the exhibition to go to this weekend. You can be sure that you simply never saw and experienced arts like this.

The Correlate exhibition will be on display at the PHI Centre from May 1 to May 3. For more information, visit www.correlate2014.com. You can also visit their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/correlatecorreler2014, or follow them on Twitter @Correlate2014.

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Arts

The wonderful world of work

With the fight against tuition hikes escalating, becoming more unpredictable than mid-season weather, it’s refreshing to hear that some Concordia class projects are going swimmingly. This includes the ARTX 480 (advanced integrated studio in contemporary art practices) course’s year-end exhibition entitled Work.

The course began in the fall semester and the culminating exhibition, an integral part of the class, will feature pieces from all 19 students. “We thought that it could be a great opportunity to connect outside of Concordia and represent Concordia, represent artists in [the] community,” said contributing artist Joy (Jee Yoon) Lim.

The choice of theme was crucial, as it had to represent both the subject matter and media that varied so widely between the participating students, ranging from video to installations and performance pieces.

“Because we are just an arbitrarily thrown together group of students, we wanted a theme that could be pretty flexible to us all,” explained artist Zoë Ritts, describing the different ideas within the theme, such as work in relationships, work as labour and work and the body.

Some pieces also have an element of audience interaction, as in Lim’s piece, Coffee/Tea Break, which has attachments around cups and plays with the smell on top in order to stimulate different senses.

“Usually you’re not supposed to touch the art, not supposed to go near it […] for me, the artwork itself is the experience, not the cup,” explained Lim. “So I don’t mind if the cup is ruined, as long as the person has some experience and goes home and thinks about that.”

Attendees will also have a chance to have their future divined for them through Marlee Parsons’ performance Psychic Cell Reading, which involves taking a swab of saliva from two volunteers, placing it under a microscope and projecting an image of the cells, from which she will do her reading.

The group of ARTX 480 students ventured out into the city, and chose the Grover building on Parthenais Street as the site to put on their exhibit rather than the Concordia art gallery hub, with its reigning champions being VAV and FOFA.

“The place is a former textile factory, which is really obvious when you’re looking at the architecture inside. It’s these big rooms that are now perfect for galleries […] Different generations of people such as artists have moved into the building, and so we were really interested in using this as a site, because the artists have fought to keep it [from becoming] a condo building,” said Ritts.

The exhibit reflects the interdisciplinary element of ARTX 480.

“It’s called interdisciplinary studies―interdisciplinary meaning connecting art with other disciplines, other issues around the world or community-based,” explained Lim. “So we’re basically not creating art just for the sake of making art, just to display, but […] to convey some messages through that.”

They showed their support by adorning their poster and postcards with a little red square, keeping the student strike in mind, of which they were generally in favour.

“By the time the strike started, our classes had begun to happen off Concordia campus anyway because we were in the gallery space working,” said Ritts. “So in that sense we didn’t have to cross any picket lines. Our class was able to continue within the spirit of the strike. And I think it also fell under the aspect of the strike, which is an emphasis on creating art and continue supporting each other outside of the physical university space.”

Ultimately, through Work, the ARTX 480 students are hoping to introduce visitors to taking in a different kind of contemporary art.

“For those who don’t really know art, I think we have great examples that [are] not very conventional, and that’s very interactive,” said Lim. “Usually people don’t expect that. […] Coming here, they can experience a greater range of all kinds of contemporary art.”

Work runs at the Grover building (2065 Parthenais St., metro Frontenac) until March 31. There will also be a panel discussion on the intersections and contradictions of the many kinds of labour in the lives of four invited artists and cultural workers on March 27 at 7 p.m. For more information, check out workyourwork.weebly.com.

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