https://greenwoodutm.com Greenwood Fri, 13 Jan 2023 19:26:18 +0000 https://greenwoodutm.com en https://greenwoodutm.com/Home Wed, 17 Jun 2020 15:53:23 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Home About&nbsp; https://greenwoodutm.com/The-Reality-of-Unprecedented-Times Fri, 13 Jan 2023 19:26:18 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/The-Reality-of-Unprecedented-Times The Reality of Unprecedented Times <img width="6912" height="3456" width_o="6912" height_o="3456" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bda9f2b1a1d1c29b6cceef2c0c4e0432407d4c90cd5584ce993b7a2bd52c78a6/The-Reality-of-Unprecedented-Times---Web-Banner.png" data-mid="172877417" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bda9f2b1a1d1c29b6cceef2c0c4e0432407d4c90cd5584ce993b7a2bd52c78a6/The-Reality-of-Unprecedented-Times---Web-Banner.png" /> Greenwood, with the support of The Blackwood, hosted a hybrid event of live and pre-recorded performances on&nbsp;Monday, March 20th, 2023, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM &nbsp; The Reality of Unprecedented Times considered how the virtual and physical worlds are converging and colliding, and the related implications for the future. This new reality has emerged from the altered relationship that humans have with their physical and digital environments as a result of the pandemic. Driven by a desire for greater intimacy with the screen and a longing to connect through it, the selected works ask the audience how hybridity can be drawn upon as a methodological approach to advancing a message, a feeling, or an artistic expression. The phrase “unprecedented times” has become commonplace over the past few years and continues to reflect the current challenges that individuals face in adapting to a new reality. Featuring the work of emerging artists from across the Greater Toronto Area, The Reality of Unprecedented Times presents different perspectives on coping with and creating new hybrid lifestyles. This event navigates the blurred boundaries of physical, virtual and psychological spaces, presenting works that range from multimedia installations to screening of pre-recorded videos. In dialogue with this event, the selected pieces in the zine publication adopt a variety of mediums and experimental ap­proaches including, a poem about how memes will save the world, a painting of a zebra on Zoom calls, and a screenshot image of an essay about re-learning to read on a digital device, to name a few. The zine includes Stacey Arkhipova, Veronica Spiljak, Snack Witch Joni Cheung, Studio X, Bryce Coates, Dania Murad, Regina Adaora Agokei, Valentina Guzman-Martinez, Rosa Fragomeni, Maryna Salagub, Ciar O’Mahony, and Qurat Dar. These works have been categorised according to subthemes that start with the prefix “un-” to explore the different aspects of our experiences during the pandemic. These sub themes include “Untangled,” “Unknown,” “Unseen,” “Uncertain,” Unplug,” and “Unlearn.” Click here to open the PDF. https://greenwoodutm.com/Situational-Inverse-Overturning-Traditions Fri, 03 Dec 2021 19:34:20 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Situational-Inverse-Overturning-Traditions Situational Inverse: Overturning Traditions <img width="1627" height="595" width_o="1627" height_o="595" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2684e403573f35c54865288a093963a56a335e3adf7ff5cfa71330c4e69a66fc/MicrosoftTeams-image-1.png" data-mid="136669677" border="0" data-scale="99" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2684e403573f35c54865288a093963a56a335e3adf7ff5cfa71330c4e69a66fc/MicrosoftTeams-image-1.png" /> What do you want to say to current leaders in your life? What do you wish past leaders knew? What do you think future leaders should know? Building on discourses sparked by the 2021 Dissolution of Parliament by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Greenwood team thought a lot about the ways that we collectively engage with forms of power. Whether we are interacting with figures of authority, our peers, or our juniors, how does power inform these exchanges? Throughout the curatorial process, the goal of Situational Inverse: Overturning Traditions transformed from an exploration to being a conversational catalyst for themes of power, positionality and leadership. Calling upon the poem I want a president (1992) by Zoe Leonard as inspiration, Greenwood employs alternative means of understanding power to theorize possible ways we can engage with power differently. The ways in which Leonard subverts traditional ideas of political figures became foundational pillars for the curatorial process. Through gestures of knowledge sharing (and acknowledging the power involved when sharing knowledge), Greenwood begins to diversify the collective understanding of what it means to lack power, to have power, and ways it occupies space within our lives. This publication showcases the work of nine contributors: Blaire Mackenzie, Dania Sabri, Masha Le Do, Sofia Sue-Wah Sing, Sofia Suleman, Tooba Ijaz, Tyler Young and collaborative duo Chi Liu and Josephine Tianyi. With each contribution based on relevant themes, Situational Inverse: Overturning Traditions asks; how can power fluctuate? How do we collectively engage with power in the present? How can we change this treatment in the future? Click here to open the PDF. Situational Inverse: Overturning Traditions is a free publication supported by The Blackwood at the University of Toronto Mississauga. A PDF copy is available to view through Greenwood’s website, with limited printed copies available in archives held by The Blackwood in Mississauga and Hauser &amp; Wirth in New York. Definition Dissolution&nbsp;Key terms and alternative ways of understanding them Leadership, noun, /ˈlēdərˌSHip/ 1. the office or position of a leader 2. capacity to lead 3. the act or an instance of leading 4. leaders Alternatively A movement or action by leaders who “are willing to be vulnerable, are OK with being ‘the bad guy,’ see the value in self-care, and focus on others’ intentions, not their actions alone.” —Nick Hobson, “Ted Lasso is Reinventing Leadership and Proving that Nice Leaders can (and should) Finish First,” Inc., November 3, 2021, https://www.inc.com/nick-hobson/ted-lasso-is-reinventing-leadership-proving-that-nice-leaders-can-and-should-finish-first.html. Positionality, noun, /puh-zish-uh-NAL-i-tee/The social and political context that creates your identity in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability status Alternatively "Positionality is the notion that personal values, views, and location in time and space influence how one understands the world. In this context, gender, race, class, and other aspects of identities are indicators of social and spatial positions and are not fixed, given qualities. Positions act on the knowledge a person has about things, both material and abstract. Consequently, knowledge is the product of a specific position that reflects particular places and spaces.” —Luis Sánchez, “Positionality.” In Encyclopedia of Geography, ed. Barney Warf (Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Inc., 2010), 258, SAGE Reference. Power, noun, /'pou(e)r/1. legal or official authority, capacity, or right 2. possession of control, authority, or influence over others 3. a controlling group 4. physical might 5. political control or influence Alternatively “Power is—at least some of the time… a factor in a social situation because of human beings’ expectations of what might happen to them. Power can be a significant factor in social relationships even when it exists as a set of complex anticipated reactions to the assumed actions of remote social agents… power manifests itself as a complex social presence that exists in an intricate network of overlapping and contradictory relations.”—Thomas E. Wartenberg, Rethinking Power (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992), xviii-xix. https://greenwoodutm.com/Water-Activism-and-Community Fri, 16 Jul 2021 05:38:10 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Water-Activism-and-Community Water Activism and Community&nbsp; <img width="1080" height="1080" width_o="1080" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/efe2a5dacccfeb74fd9dfa2ab9932bf0e5cac6f366695e6c40cf57148bb8b546/pasted-image-0.png" data-mid="114262497" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/efe2a5dacccfeb74fd9dfa2ab9932bf0e5cac6f366695e6c40cf57148bb8b546/pasted-image-0.png" /> <img width="512" height="512" width_o="512" height_o="512" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7b23e63e1f16c7ffb26b2388cacb1a363f6b0ee83037b5ade7ef4f690c88c786/unnamed.png" data-mid="114262498" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/512/i/7b23e63e1f16c7ffb26b2388cacb1a363f6b0ee83037b5ade7ef4f690c88c786/unnamed.png" /> <img width="1080" height="1080" width_o="1080" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ce3aafbcb2d3a82c61551ded4ce48db107071fbb165b4cc14409cdec6b0ff039/pasted-image-0-1.png" data-mid="114262495" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ce3aafbcb2d3a82c61551ded4ce48db107071fbb165b4cc14409cdec6b0ff039/pasted-image-0-1.png" /> Greenwood, with the support of The Blackwood, hosted a community consultation event on Thursday, July 29, 2021, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM EDT&nbsp;&nbsp; In this presentation and discussion, Dr. Robert Case, Associate Professor in Social Development Studies at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo discussed his practice of water activism, environmentalism, and community organizing. Dr. Case’s work was presented as part of the consultation and development of lyfeboat prototype, the development of a fully-functional boat for community use led by artist sean procyk and the Blackwood. &nbsp; lyfeboat prototype is a project rooted in architectural intervention, adaptive reuse, and public engagement. Slated for launch by the Blackwood in 2022, it will serve as a gathering place for community education, a work of experimental architecture, and a self-sufficient floating sculpture. Interested institutions, groups, and individuals were invited to discuss their ideas for how lyfeboat prototype can be used in their community. Dr. Robert Case is an Associate Professor in Social Development Studies at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and a volunteer on the board of directors of a local citizens' group called the Wellington Water Watchers. He teaches in the areas of social policy, social ecology, and community organization, and his focuses on community organization and social action, with a particular focus on community organization in the context of opposition to groundwater bottling in communities around North America. sean procyk is an unsettler artist and playground designer. his practice focuses on creating immersive public engagements through site-specific installation, architecture and community workshops. Each project responds to its regional context, with a particular focus on the relationships that exist between landscape, community and ecology. procyk’s work explores processes of ecological succession, land-based disturbance, human alienation and collective action. he works primarily with found, reclaimed and natural materials. procyk’s works have been exhibited at Hamilton Artists Inc., Latitude 53, Stride Contemporary Art Gallery, Elemental Festival, Convergence Conference on Art and Technology in Banff, and Nuit Blanche Toronto. https://greenwoodutm.com/Survival-and-Growth Wed, 09 Jun 2021 20:13:54 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Survival-and-Growth Survival and Growth This Pride month, Greenwood is highlighting past contributions to Blackwood's programming that amplify awareness for and encourage dialogue about issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community. The Greenwood team recognizes that Pride is not just about celebration, but also about continuing to create spaces where underrepresented voices and communities are amplified. The spotlight series has organized the following artists and publications thematically according to the specific ways in which they enable us to think about care, social justice, decolonization, identity, and the future. We are sharing artistic works, articles, and projects hosted by the Blackwood that engage with these themes, including works by Thirza Cuthand, Hazel Meyer, Anthea Black, and more. We encourage you to look further into the work of contributors highlighted in this spotlight series on our instagram page.&nbsp; The title for this series, Survival and Growth, comes from Sister Outsider, a collection of essays and speeches by Audre Lorde. <img width="511" height="512" width_o="511" height_o="512" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cf43a578208b22c378b499f6d9a989919ede98cf2b162b8d2788367bb4ee0c68/Sister-Outsider.png" data-mid="111973341" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/511/i/cf43a578208b22c378b499f6d9a989919ede98cf2b162b8d2788367bb4ee0c68/Sister-Outsider.png" /> <img width="1110" height="1116" width_o="1110" height_o="1116" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ec0db8a5a37f32bf865bd3af42c4350c13e71b72029096f2f5a331e4510b4b7f/Screen-Shot-2021-06-21-at-1.55.56-PM.png" data-mid="111971465" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ec0db8a5a37f32bf865bd3af42c4350c13e71b72029096f2f5a331e4510b4b7f/Screen-Shot-2021-06-21-at-1.55.56-PM.png" /> https://greenwoodutm.com/Dis-Placed-A-Virtual-Artist-Spotlight-and-Talk-Series Thu, 26 Nov 2020 17:11:55 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Dis-Placed-A-Virtual-Artist-Spotlight-and-Talk-Series (Dis)Placed: A Virtual Artist Spotlight and Talk Series January 15 - February 11 2021 The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area is home to many diasporic communities. Approximately half of the region’s current population was born outside of Canada—making the region a natural place for meaningful discussions on the complexities of movement, language, and community belonging. What does it mean to be Canadian, when Canada has become a crossroad for such a rich diversity of peoples? Are traditional definitions of “home” meant to be challenged, reconciled, stretched, or embraced in our current geopolitical context? In 2021, Greenwood engages with contemporary discourses in Ontario’s diasporic experience. (Dis)placed: A Virtual Artist Spotlight and Talk Series considers the fallout of westernization and the effects of displacement, cultural belonging, and visibility on our local communities.&nbsp; Greenwood’s forthcoming programming series takes the form of two artist talks hosted in tandem with a collection of four virtual artist spotlights. (Dis)Placed showcases the diverse and intergenerational interpretation of diaspora by artists and arts activists in the Greater Toronto Area. In response to a year of unprecedented events, Greenwood— an initiative led by Blackwood Gallery Work-Study students— considers the importance of providing a space for emerging voices to grapple with cultural movement and belonging complexities. (Dis)Placed invites emerging and mid-career artists to unpack these present-day experiences, activating various perspectives on space, belonging, and place in our communities.&nbsp; <img width="3600" height="3600" width_o="3600" height_o="3600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/360d500b5c6d2a2e1bd07c15a38704a753612fd3338867a07ae9c6971ea5a672/DisPlaced-IG-Graphic-01.png" data-mid="95080832" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/360d500b5c6d2a2e1bd07c15a38704a753612fd3338867a07ae9c6971ea5a672/DisPlaced-IG-Graphic-01.png" /> <img width="3601" height="3600" width_o="3601" height_o="3600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e55f3d8c0470c2687df83c027260437d8367589727f79c9575a47978a96c80b4/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-02.png" data-mid="95080643" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e55f3d8c0470c2687df83c027260437d8367589727f79c9575a47978a96c80b4/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-02.png" /> <img width="3600" height="3601" width_o="3600" height_o="3601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b5640ad3d29e488aed0c9f4aebca3ed03d29212df7db6a8aceed5156048ddbaa/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-03.png" data-mid="95080644" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b5640ad3d29e488aed0c9f4aebca3ed03d29212df7db6a8aceed5156048ddbaa/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-03.png" /> <img width="3601" height="3601" width_o="3601" height_o="3601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ce458f342233e3f38cc0db74507e6cb97530b6b177a9dac09e973771e9cb9927/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-04.png" data-mid="95080645" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ce458f342233e3f38cc0db74507e6cb97530b6b177a9dac09e973771e9cb9927/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-04.png" /> <img width="3600" height="3601" width_o="3600" height_o="3601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a8b1d68063bd03839f9eb03f0a8eb6d3d9cad2aa60c56df81295eca720bdf139/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-05.png" data-mid="95080646" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a8b1d68063bd03839f9eb03f0a8eb6d3d9cad2aa60c56df81295eca720bdf139/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-05.png" /> <img width="3601" height="3601" width_o="3601" height_o="3601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0dd7d5cf4f5f95a59c977e6c8bdde25f5d2415bb5aaa2774f1fd1d84454c9752/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-06.png" data-mid="95080647" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0dd7d5cf4f5f95a59c977e6c8bdde25f5d2415bb5aaa2774f1fd1d84454c9752/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-06.png" /> <img width="3600" height="3600" width_o="3600" height_o="3600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cf9aac3049d8f2c3e012bc3681cec005b8b7553f20d96b4cff8947bac01b0e75/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-07.png" data-mid="95080648" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cf9aac3049d8f2c3e012bc3681cec005b8b7553f20d96b4cff8947bac01b0e75/Greenwood_Displaced_Marketing-07.png" /> We at Greenwod recognize&nbsp;(Dis)Placed as an&nbsp;opportunity to&nbsp;examine, learn,&nbsp;and unlearn&nbsp;traditional definitions of diaspora in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.&nbsp;For this reason, we&nbsp;have complied a&nbsp;list of resources that&nbsp;influenced&nbsp;our&nbsp;direction&nbsp;– a collection of works that&nbsp;process&nbsp;themes of cultural belonging, identity, assimilation, and intergenerational doubt&nbsp;in&nbsp;North America.&nbsp;It is our hope that this&nbsp;small&nbsp;sampling&nbsp;proves insightful, tying together traditional and contemporary discourses on&nbsp;the subject: Achbe Chinua,&nbsp;Home and Exile (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). Theodor Adorna, Minima Moralia: Reflections from Damaged Life, translated by E.F.N. Jephcott (New York: Verso Books, 2006).Claire Alexander, “Beyond the “The ‘Diaspora’ Diaspora”: A Response to Rogers Brubaker,” Ethnic and Racial Studies 40, no.9 (2017): 1544–1555. &nbsp; Avtar Brah, Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities (London: Routledge, 1996).Dionne Brand, What We All Long For (Toronto: Penguin Random House Canada, 2005).&nbsp; Jana Evans Braziel and Anita Mannur,&nbsp;Theorizing Diaspora: A Reader (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003).Judith M. Brown, Global South Asians: Introducing the Modern Diaspora (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).&nbsp; Roger Brubaker, “Revisiting ‘The ‘Diaspora’ Diaspora,’” Ethnic and Racial Studies 40, no. 9 (2017), 1556–1561.James Clifford, “Diasporas,” Cultural Anthropology 9, no. 3 (Aug. 1994), 302-338.Robin Cohen and Caroline Fischer, Routledge Handbook of Diaspora Studies (Abingdon:&nbsp;Routledge, 2018).&nbsp; Sneja Gunew, “Serial Accommodations,” Canadian Literature no. 196 (2008), 6-16. Media Farzin, “The Imaginary Elsewhere: How Not to Think about Diasporic Art,” Bidoun, originally published in Summe 2012.Maurice Halbwachs, On Collective Memory,&nbsp;[Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,&nbsp;(1925)&nbsp;1992]. Stuart Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora,” in Jonathan Rutherford (ed.) Identity: Community, Culture, Difference (London: Lawrence &amp; Wishart, 1990), 222-237. Smaro Kamboureli, Scandalous Bodies: Diasporic Literature in English Canada&nbsp;(Waterloo: Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2009). Jacques Khalip, Anonymous Life: Romanticism and Dispossession (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2009). Saloni Mathur, The Migrant’s Time: Rethinking Art History and Diaspora&nbsp;(Williamstown: The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2011).Linda Nochlin, “Art and the Conditions of Exile: Men/Women, Emigration/Expatriation,”&nbsp;Poetics Today 17, no. 3 (Autumn 1996), 317-337. Kobena Mercer, Exiles, Diasporas &amp; Strangers (Boston: MIT Press, 2008).Edward W. Said, Reflections on Exile and&nbsp;Other Essays&nbsp;(Cambridge:&nbsp;Harvard University Press, 2002).&nbsp; Tahseen Shams, Here, There, and Elsewhere: The Making of Immigrant Identities in a&nbsp;Globalized World (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2020). University of Toronto’s Centre for Diaspora &amp; Transnational Studies, Between, Across, and&nbsp;Through,&nbsp;Podcast, October 1, 2019 – ongoing. Jack Wang, We Two Alone (Toronto: House of&nbsp;Anansi Press,&nbsp;2020). Kari Weil, “Romantic Exile and the Melancholia of Identification,” A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 7:2 (1995). Tobias Wofford, “Whose Diaspora?” Art Journal 75, no. 1 (2016), 74-79. Acknowledgements The members of Greenwood would like to thank all of our contributors for generously sharing their work and trust with us throughout the production of (Dis)Placed. With full hearts, we thank Shaheer Zazai, Idil Djafer, Florence Yee, and Abedar&nbsp;Kamgari&nbsp;for their continued cooperation, patience,&nbsp;and enthusiasm.&nbsp;We are honoured to reach and represent artists with such a rich diversity of backgrounds.&nbsp;We would also like to extend our&nbsp;sincere&nbsp;thanks to the Blackwood Gallery staff for their generous guidance throughout this&nbsp;series'&nbsp;production.&nbsp;Our&nbsp;final&nbsp;thanks&nbsp;are to Greenwood's&nbsp;growing digital audience.&nbsp;It is through your&nbsp;viewership&nbsp;that we&nbsp;are able to&nbsp;continue&nbsp;elevating&nbsp;emerging&nbsp;student and mid-career&nbsp;voices&nbsp;from&nbsp;our local community. We cannot thank you&nbsp;enough&nbsp;for your&nbsp;generous&nbsp;support. With gratitude,&nbsp; –Greenwood, the Fall 2020 - Winter 2021 Blackwood Work Study Team Muskoka Dittmar-Mccallum, New Media Assistant Nancy Hamdy, Outreach Assistant Megan Kammerer, Collections Assistant &nbsp;Nicholas Markowski, Outreach Assistant Jessica Velasco, Collections Assistant Anila Wahid, New Media Assistant Participating Artists Idil Djafer Abedar Kamgari&nbsp;Florence Yee Shaheer Zazai&nbsp; https://greenwoodutm.com/Shaheer-Zazai Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:29:56 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Shaheer-Zazai Shaheer Zazai&nbsp;“The digital nature of the project has allowed me to be able to speak in a new visual language that strangely mimics carpet knotting technique. They are both a play of numbers and density per square inch – the rest is left to improvisation. This language has also served as an opportunity to bring my heritage to a contemporary dialogue” - Shaheer Zazai, 2020. <img width="4088" height="2444" width_o="4088" height_o="2444" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d2ef170faf2ba5426c4dcdf79c1a6bbedcca86de037e0e51bde101f0cb86088/Screen-Shot-2021-01-21-at-11.17.28-AM-wecompress.com.png" data-mid="95954965" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7d2ef170faf2ba5426c4dcdf79c1a6bbedcca86de037e0e51bde101f0cb86088/Screen-Shot-2021-01-21-at-11.17.28-AM-wecompress.com.png" /> Shaeer Zazai, Carpet No. 6 (digital print, produced in Microsoft Word), 2017.&nbsp; Shaheer Zazai’s practice navigates processes of cultural identity, hybridity, movement, and migration. Each work simulates a process of resettlement, re-enacting the lived experience of diasporic peoples. In doing so, these images provide a unique opportunity to explore the condition of being (dis)placed.&nbsp; Zazai reconciles traditional visual motifs&nbsp;with&nbsp;new media&nbsp;by&nbsp;digitally&nbsp;mimicking the process of&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;carpet-weaving.&nbsp;BWG FD ALL SC, for example, depicts another of the artist’s works currently shown in the Blackwood Gallery’s Burning Glass, Reading Stone lightbox series. However, here it is deconstructed and split into various stages of completion. Zazai visually analogizes the textile codes of carpet weaving with those of digital programming. His recent works, such as NS46 7F, appear entirely computerized, as if distorted by glitch. While the digital renderings retain the decorative patterns of traditional weaving design, they also abstract these patterns beyond immediate recognition. Zazai’s work then&nbsp;speaks&nbsp;toward the&nbsp;dissonance of&nbsp;diasporic&nbsp;experiences, exploring&nbsp;the simultaneity of cultural detachment and connection. &nbsp;<img width="1224" height="1584" width_o="1224" height_o="1584" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8fb28d38011e053b5a446ce89da38acd4f7e29081e316ef1eea12fff9123387a/44NS10F-72.jpg" data-mid="95951156" border="0" data-scale="47" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8fb28d38011e053b5a446ce89da38acd4f7e29081e316ef1eea12fff9123387a/44NS10F-72.jpg" /><img width="1440" height="1800" width_o="1440" height_o="1800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3bdffc1002190d3eb5f0621b8211f2a2f1fbff4a6dc7ffb592b2a817c4604a24/NS46-7F-72.jpg" data-mid="95951198" border="0" data-scale="51" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3bdffc1002190d3eb5f0621b8211f2a2f1fbff4a6dc7ffb592b2a817c4604a24/NS46-7F-72.jpg" /> Shaeer Zazai, 44 NS 10F (digital print, produced in Microsoft Word), 2019. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shaeer Zazai, NS46 7F (digital print, produced in Microsoft Word), 2020. Q: Tell us about yourself. Was there a specific moment when you, as an artist, knew that you needed to create work that engaged with diasporic themes? Was this always a goal in your practice or did you gradually integrate these themes into your work?A: My practice has always been focused on my relationship with my home country without specifically aiming to be creating work that engaged with diasporic themes. With the development of the digital work the theme of diaspora became more visible to me.  Q: The Greater Toronto Area has become a cultural crossroad for a rich diversity of peoples from across the globe. How do you identify/position yourself as an artist in this context engaging with themes of diaspora in 2020? What are the messages surrounding this identity and current themes of belonging that you try to convey or amplify in your practice? &nbsp;A: The digital work, for me, has raised the question of the development of identity in diaspora. What happens to identity when it lives between cultural identity and environmental identity? &nbsp;Q: Tell us more about your ongoing digital carpet series. How has the project enabled you to explore the connections, or disconnections, between your Afghan heritage and current experience as an artist in Canada? Does the digital nature of this project have an impact on how you navigate these relationships?&nbsp; &nbsp;A: I realized this much later but the carpet series is the pivoting point when my perspective of my own culture changed. Prior to the carpet series, I was focused on Afghanistan’s history and politics from a position of rejecting one’s cultural identity. The process of making the carpet series changed my perspective from rejection to trying to understand what it means to be in diaspora.  The digital nature of the project has allowed me to be able to speak in a new visual language that strangely mimics carpet knotting technique. They are both a play of numbers and density per square inch – the rest is left to improvisation. This language has also served as an opportunity to bring my heritage to a contemporary dialogue. To learn more about Zazai’s artistic practice, you can view his website or follow their&nbsp;Instagram account.   <img width="7776" height="6802" width_o="7776" height_o="6802" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d71ba609b379027c77ba5e90cc27bd4ccc39d1c3c6ede6a11739e9073d819243/Zazai_BWG_FD_ALL_SC-CF---72-wecompress.com.jpg" data-mid="95953530" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d71ba609b379027c77ba5e90cc27bd4ccc39d1c3c6ede6a11739e9073d819243/Zazai_BWG_FD_ALL_SC-CF---72-wecompress.com.jpg" />&nbsp;&nbsp;Shaeer Zazai, BWG FD ALL SC (digital print, produced in Microsoft Word), 2020.&nbsp; https://greenwoodutm.com/Idil-Djafer Tue, 26 Jan 2021 14:49:23 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Idil-Djafer Idil Djafer&nbsp;“I feel that I am able to say something about my identity in showcasing my surroundings. It’s important to also note that although my practice is mainly photography, my process is heavily conceptual. From idea to execution, the concept will always come first. I constantly ask myself throughout my practice, what medium would work best to bring this idea to fruition? Sometimes the right medium isn’t photography or video, but I enjoy learning the necessary skills to create work in different forms ” - Idil Djafer, 2020.&nbsp; <img width="5878" height="3919" width_o="5878" height_o="3919" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/946a9666b341aa7d94fc3eb993125a2809ea3e9f379629446db77a8040d0e098/IdilDjafer_If-You-Aint-Black-Dont-Say-It.jpg" data-mid="96518871" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/946a9666b341aa7d94fc3eb993125a2809ea3e9f379629446db77a8040d0e098/IdilDjafer_If-You-Aint-Black-Dont-Say-It.jpg" />Idil Djafer, If You Ain’t Black Don’t Say It (detail), 2018. &nbsp; Idil Djafer is a Scarborough-based conceptual artist examining&nbsp;themes of&nbsp;language,&nbsp;cultural&nbsp;space, and&nbsp;belonging&nbsp;in her multi-disciplinary practice.&nbsp;Working primarily with lens-based media,&nbsp;Djafer&nbsp;proposes new&nbsp;forms of&nbsp;diasporic&nbsp;identity construction&nbsp;by&nbsp;navigating&nbsp;her intersectional experience as a&nbsp;Black Muslim woman&nbsp;in the Toronto area.&nbsp; Not Our Space explores the theme of white space as negative space. The majority of public settings in Toronto are populated by white bodies.&nbsp;Djafer&nbsp;breaks down&nbsp;this characteristic, exploring how&nbsp;cultural&nbsp;asymmetries&nbsp;generate&nbsp;feelings of discomfort and unease&nbsp;for&nbsp;persons of colour&nbsp;navigating&nbsp;these&nbsp;spaces.&nbsp;Who belongs in these settings and who does not?&nbsp;The&nbsp;video’s&nbsp;white&nbsp;space is&nbsp;deconstructed to visualize&nbsp;the&nbsp;abundance of negative space&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;its&nbsp;subjects.&nbsp;move b*tch, get out the way!&nbsp;takes these questions one step further&nbsp;– exploring how women of colour can&nbsp;combat&nbsp;exclusive&nbsp;sidewalk politics. They are empowered to&nbsp;make&nbsp;space among the crowd.&nbsp; Related themes&nbsp;on&nbsp;the functionality of language&nbsp;are surveyed&nbsp;in&nbsp;If You&nbsp;Ain’t&nbsp;Black Don’t Say It.&nbsp;Five sentences are brought together&nbsp;in the&nbsp;embroidered work&nbsp;to focus on&nbsp;the&nbsp;excuses individuals use&nbsp;when&nbsp;they are called out for using the N word.&nbsp;Each phrase is&nbsp;surrounded by charming&nbsp;textile&nbsp;designs&nbsp;to&nbsp;emphasize attempts&nbsp;to&nbsp;sugar-coat&nbsp;these&nbsp;excuses.&nbsp;Djafer&nbsp;summarizes the work best, proposing “There is a great deal of anti-blackness around the world, therefore I refuse to allow anyone to use language that makes me uncomfortable.&nbsp;Yet,&nbsp;a golden question&nbsp;remains: why is it that when a Black individual expresses their discomfort,&nbsp;they are ultimately disregarded&nbsp;by&nbsp;weak,&nbsp;nonsensical excuses?” <img width="1920" height="1080" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/24cce2dba68480b831190b59c09154a197ebda5714d9941ab43bcd44d488a4b6/move-btch-get-out-the-way.png" data-mid="96518872" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/24cce2dba68480b831190b59c09154a197ebda5714d9941ab43bcd44d488a4b6/move-btch-get-out-the-way.png" /> <img width="1466" height="1078" width_o="1466" height_o="1078" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f294812d2d29a4a11f4efd49261a3ad110560e528b33aa5bc8fa2db1d004372b/not-our-space.png" data-mid="96518873" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f294812d2d29a4a11f4efd49261a3ad110560e528b33aa5bc8fa2db1d004372b/not-our-space.png" /> Idil Djafer, move b*tch, get out the way! (video still), 2020. Life-sized projection, 3 minutes 48 seconds. You can watch the full video here. Idil Djafer, Not Our Space (video still), 2019. Digital video, 4 minutes 35 seconds.&nbsp; You can watch the full video here. Q: Tell us about yourself. Was there a specific moment when you, as an artist, knew that you needed to create work that engaged with diasporic themes? Was this always a goal in your practice or did you gradually integrate these themes into your work? A: During my third year of Studio at the University of Toronto Scarborough, I realized that I wanted to create more meaningful work that resonated with diasporic themes. This wasn’t always a goal in my practice, I definitely needed&nbsp;the push of my wonderful professors and peers to actualize these themes into my work. Prior to creating more conceptual-based works, my main goal was to create a certain aesthetic which led me to always prioritize that over the themes of the work. Q: The Greater Toronto Area has become a cultural crossroad for a rich diversity of peoples from across the globe. How do you identify/position yourself as an artist in this context engaging with themes of diaspora in 2020? What are the messages surrounding this identity and current themes of belonging that you try to convey or amplify in your practice? A: I love that the Greater Toronto Area is so diverse. However, based on the 2016 Census, Black folks make up only 7.5% of Toronto’s population. This number is sure to increase for the 2021 Census. I am therefore a part of the minority in this city and I position myself as an artist focusing on the intersectionality of my identities within this context. Although I am a Black Muslim Woman, I’ve had folks from all different backgrounds relate to my work because they might fall under the category of one my identities. The message surrounding current themes of belonging that I try to amplify is that I want everyone to feel comfortable in their identities and to not feel any sort of alienation. Q: The activation of lens-based media seems to be a recurrent theme in your practice. How has the use of photography and video influenced your development as an artist? Do images have the power to showcase something about your identity that other mediums cannot? A: Photography was my first introduction to the arts. From joining the photography club in high school, to buying my first DSLR, to finally taking photography courses in university to up my skill level, photography always been a significant aspect of my artistic life. These are all examples of how I got to my current comfort level with lens-based media.&nbsp;The use of photography has influenced my development as an artist by instilling a strong foundation in my practice. It’s the medium I’m most comfortable using, which then led me to explore other lens-based media such as video. Although my body is never the main focus in my works, with the exception of&nbsp;Salah&nbsp;(2018), the images that I take hold more power in showcasing my surroundings. Other mediums cannot necessarily achieve these goals. I feel that I&nbsp;am able to&nbsp;say something about my identity in showcasing my surroundings. It’s important to also note that although my practice is mainly photography, my process is heavily conceptual. From idea to execution, the concept will always come first. I constantly ask myself throughout my practice, what medium would work best to bring this idea to fruition? Sometimes the right medium isn’t photography or video, but I enjoy learning the necessary skills to create work in different forms&nbsp; To learn more about Djafer artistic practice, you can view her&nbsp;website or follow their Instagram account. https://greenwoodutm.com/Florence-Yee Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:07:23 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Florence-Yee Florence Yee&nbsp;“I’ve found that the general blanket term of “diaspora” often eclipses the differences between class, queerness, and gender (among other things). I want to engage the term beyond “bobaralism,” beyond long-distance nationalism, beyond nostalgia” - Florence Yee, 2020. &nbsp;&nbsp; <img width="1826" height="2312" width_o="1826" height_o="2312" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee221cee05d116a71d5a81684a2f00784615d19f0d69a3bf2d7652e1ad4bc05a/Screen-Shot-2021-02-02-at-11.02.36-AM.png" data-mid="97484229" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee221cee05d116a71d5a81684a2f00784615d19f0d69a3bf2d7652e1ad4bc05a/Screen-Shot-2021-02-02-at-11.02.36-AM.png" /> Florence Yee, in collaboration with Kiona Ligtvoet, SEEKING (sharpie on copy paper, 11” x 8.5”), 2020.&nbsp; Florence Yee’s multimedia practice engages with the complexities of diaspora, navigating the issues of class, gender, and queerness that are often subsumed (and perhaps hidden) beneath its umbrella. Their work draws upon text, sculpture, installation, and textiles to represent intimate narratives of cultural belonging and intergenerational distance.&nbsp; An embroidered fabric from Yee’s Please Reply (2019) reads, “[you honour them] in a language they do not speak.” The first part of the sentence is rendered as a ghostly apparition that throws the referent of “they” into question. The spectral text “they” seems to refer to familial predecessors. The speaker intends to honour their kin, but their sense of shared language has been lost—displaced—between generations. If this fragment is disregarded, “they” could just as easily refer to those outside of the work’s inferred community—a community that is possibly diasporic, possibly queer, – or both. Language does not have to be taken literally, after all. &nbsp;The artwork raises evocative and ambiguous questions regarding kinship, belonging, language, community, and what it means to “honour” one's family and culture. The artist expanded upon these themes when they joined us for (Dis)Placed’s upcoming talk series. Reflecting on their time as a student at Concordia, Yee expressed “At the time, there were very few BIPOC students and so there always needed to be so much assuredness in what I said - that there was no room left for an uncertainty that I think is necessary in talking about these complex issues...” &nbsp; <img width="6016" height="4000" width_o="6016" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1a630a2c5a8a83f3f0dfce4a53332ac88fa5b87406936c616e71e834e294ec8e/DSC_1505-1.jpg" data-mid="97485702" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1a630a2c5a8a83f3f0dfce4a53332ac88fa5b87406936c616e71e834e294ec8e/DSC_1505-1.jpg" /> <img width="6016" height="4000" width_o="6016" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8189e5ba8221d6bdc07ad22ff47c6204bc55dad91c2e4d2bedd3938ca9ab450c/DSC_1453.jpg" data-mid="97483667" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8189e5ba8221d6bdc07ad22ff47c6204bc55dad91c2e4d2bedd3938ca9ab450c/DSC_1453.jpg" /> Florence Yee, Please Reply (polyester thread embroidered on cotton voile with archival gloves, 8.5”x 1”), 2019.&nbsp; Florence Yee, A Labour of Labour (hand embroidery polyester thread on found comforter 7’x10’) 2018. <img width="3911" height="5854" width_o="3911" height_o="5854" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/097274e3d511e2d9e0db6ea8309adeb4f5f9b0594e854df81b7733dd6b3ac0b6/DSC_1442.jpg" data-mid="97483666" border="0" alt=" " data-caption=" " src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/097274e3d511e2d9e0db6ea8309adeb4f5f9b0594e854df81b7733dd6b3ac0b6/DSC_1442.jpg" /> Florence Yee, Whitewashed (installation view of found objects, polyester thread embroidered on a found jacket), 2019. Q: Tell us about yourself. Was there a specific moment when you, as an artist, knew that you needed to create work that engaged with diasporic themes? Was this always a goal in your practice or did you gradually integrate these themes into your work? A: There was no specific moment because there were many contributing factors. I didn’t make the connections between the shame I felt over my struggling Cantonese, my parents’ unwillingness to talk about the past, my father’s compulsion to work, and the fetishizing comments I received from others when I was younger. One moment that might summarize&nbsp;this feeling well was&nbsp;my therapist’s reaction to my grandparents’ experiences of displacement:&nbsp;“Wow, that’s a lot of&nbsp;twentieth&nbsp;century history.”&nbsp; Q: The Greater Toronto Area has become a cultural crossroad for a rich diversity of peoples from across the globe. How do you identify/position yourself as an artist in this context engaging with themes of diaspora in 2020? What are the messages surrounding this identity and current themes of belonging that you try to convey or amplify in your practice? &nbsp; A: It's one kind of relationship, but I’ve found that the general blanket term of “diaspora” often eclipses the differences between class, queerness, and gender (among other things). I want to engage the term beyond “boba liberalism,” beyond long-distance nationalism, beyond nostalgia. That’s why I try to be as specific as I can in my narratives, avoiding generalizations and using a style of autobiographical fiction to extend objects into their parts in/away from historical imperialism. I think intimacy is one of those ways. Q: Have community-driven projects, such as your involvement with Tea Base, impacted how you explore diasporic themes in your own art practice? Do these projects influence how you navigate representations of assimilation, intergenerational doubt, and cultural belonging in your own work? &nbsp; A: I’ve been more interested in facilitating solidarity and building connections. This longer-term commitment to community has been grounding in many ways, exhausting in others, but important in the big picture. The space and people of Tea Base have given me an opportunity to make work without (or at least with less of) a white gaze. It provides a place to speak of uncomfortable, but necessary, internal dialogues within our communities. &nbsp;To learn more about Yee’s artistic practice, you can view their&nbsp;website or follow their Instagram account. (Dis)placed: A Conversation with Florence Yee &nbsp; (Dis)Placed: A Conversation with Florence Yee via&nbsp;Vimeo. You can find a full transcript of the video here https://greenwoodutm.com/Abedar-Kamgari-copy Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:53:06 +0000 Greenwood https://greenwoodutm.com/Abedar-Kamgari-copy Abedar Kamgari&nbsp;“I position myself as a settler and an immigrant. For me, the privilege of living in Southern Ontario comes with a responsibility towards the communities here, particularly the Indigenous peoples to whom this land belongs. I’m not interested in communicating a fixed identity or message through my work as an artist. Diasporic experiences and relations to place are inherently multifaceted and complex. My hope is to be able to convey some of those complexities through my work” - Abedar Kamgari, 2020. &nbsp; <img width="3726" height="2141" width_o="3726" height_o="2141" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cc77d71370a588cd9027710c23fcdb5ee09831e080b74197ce1eed6b01ddb1e4/5Kamgari_My-mother-doesnt-drink-tea-any-anymore.jpg" data-mid="98570729" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cc77d71370a588cd9027710c23fcdb5ee09831e080b74197ce1eed6b01ddb1e4/5Kamgari_My-mother-doesnt-drink-tea-any-anymore.jpg" />Abedar Kamgari, My mother doesn’t drink tea anymore (installation and interactive performance), 2016. Photo taken by Herbet Fodor&nbsp;at Hamilton Artists Inc.&nbsp; Abedar Kamgari&nbsp;is a Hamilton-based independent curator and arts&nbsp;administrator&nbsp;whose practice&nbsp;probes the intricacies of diaspora and the condition of being (dis)placed.&nbsp;Politics of assimilation, access,&nbsp;and&nbsp;belonging&nbsp;are embodied in her site responsive practice as&nbsp;her relational approaches to video and performance art&nbsp;unfurl&nbsp;these themes&nbsp;in public and private settings. Kamgari gathered memories from family members&nbsp;for&nbsp;Another Country&nbsp;(2017),&nbsp;activating their&nbsp;recollections as a map&nbsp;to guide her through her birth country of Iran.&nbsp;We see the artist touching the exposed soil of&nbsp;Abidar&nbsp;Mountain&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;frame pulled from the&nbsp;work’s&nbsp;three-channel video.&nbsp;This&nbsp;tactile connection&nbsp;visualizes&nbsp;the artist’s&nbsp;complex relationship&nbsp;with the&nbsp;land&nbsp;through&nbsp;a&nbsp;direct interaction with it. Her&nbsp;touch&nbsp;is&nbsp;mediated by&nbsp;her&nbsp;shared namesake&nbsp;with the landmark&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;her prior knowledge of the&nbsp;region,&nbsp;an inherited&nbsp;cultural relationship. Migration is also embodied by the artist’s&nbsp;ongoing project,&nbsp;Finding words for the feeling.&nbsp;Kamgari&nbsp;mobilizes&nbsp;“an object with a history”&nbsp;in this site-specific performance-for-video&nbsp;as she&nbsp;moves herself,&nbsp;and the object,&nbsp;across familiar and unfamiliar&nbsp;locations. The&nbsp;object leaves&nbsp;traces&nbsp;of itself on the land, etching temporary tracks onto&nbsp;each&nbsp;surface it&nbsp;meets.&nbsp;This&nbsp;constant&nbsp;state of&nbsp;movement&nbsp;leaves traces on&nbsp;Kamgari&nbsp;as well,&nbsp;exhausting&nbsp;her&nbsp;body&nbsp;in the process.&nbsp;The&nbsp;work&nbsp;attests to the hardships of movement,&nbsp;imagining&nbsp;it as an activity of mutual transformation, an&nbsp;altering&nbsp;of&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;forms&nbsp;and the&nbsp;spaces&nbsp;through which&nbsp;they&nbsp;move.&nbsp; To learn more about Abedar Kamgari and her oeuvre in her own words, tune in to our upcoming Artist Talk debuting on February 12, 2021. <img width="1920" height="1080" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5f5ee14ac725bdd11aff8579aec811e08f29181fbe56638c57c165fbccddc9ad/3Kamgari_AnotherCountry_2017.jpg" data-mid="98570731" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5f5ee14ac725bdd11aff8579aec811e08f29181fbe56638c57c165fbccddc9ad/3Kamgari_AnotherCountry_2017.jpg" /> Abedar Kamgari, Another Country&nbsp;(video&nbsp;still),&nbsp;2017.&nbsp;Three-channel video with sound, 80 minutes 0 seconds. Q: Tell us about yourself. Was there a specific moment when you, as an artist, knew that you needed to create work that engaged with diasporic themes? Was this always a goal in your practice or did you gradually integrate these themes into your work? A: I have lived in three countries, five cities, and nineteen&nbsp;different houses. My experiences of movement and migration&nbsp;through these spaces has&nbsp;certainly informed&nbsp;my perspective as an artist. One time during my undergrad, a classmate remarked that I have an accent when speaking English. I shrugged off the encounter. Since English isn’t my first language, I didn’t care much if I spoke it with an accent.&nbsp;A&nbsp;few months later,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;a family member told me that I&nbsp;have an accent when speaking Farsi, my mother tongue. This time the encounter wasn’t as easily shrugged off&nbsp;since it meant that I have accents in the only two languages I speak. The whole thing set off a major identity crisis for me and the beginnings of my interest in exploring the social and cultural aspects of diasporic experiences through my work. Q: The Greater Toronto Area has become a cultural crossroad for a rich diversity of peoples from across the globe. How do you identify/position yourself as an artist in this context engaging with themes of diaspora in 2020? What are the messages surrounding this identity and current themes of belonging that you try to convey or amplify in your practice?&nbsp;&nbsp; A: I position myself as a settler and an&nbsp;immigrant. For me, the privilege of living in Southern Ontario comes with a responsibility towards the communities here, particularly the Indigenous peoples to whom this land belongs.&nbsp; I’m not interested in communicating a fixed identity or message through my work as an artist. Diasporic experiences and relations to place are inherently multifaceted and complex. My hope is to be able to convey some of those complexities through my work.&nbsp; Q: Your practice often crosses disciplinary boundaries between art, curation, and administration in Ontario. How do you navigate representations of displacement and diaspora beyond your personal art practice? Do gallery and administrative spaces need to shift their approach toward diasporic issues in the exhibition of Canadian art? A: The lack of representation of diasporic practices in contemporary art exhibitions is the reason I began curating in 2016. Since then, carving space for Black, Indigenous, and artists of colour has been my biggest priority as an arts administrator in the artist-run sector. Of course, racialized artists have been advocating for greater representation and opportunities for decades, so while it’s an incredibly pertinent issue it is not new.&nbsp; Arts spaces serve a social and political function. They need to be responsive to their communities and the important issues of our day. Though ultimately, I simply want racialized diasporic artists to be supported in making art about whatever topic they choose. <img width="5400" height="3600" width_o="5400" height_o="3600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e15c42f943e6911a5bc7812b34fcd66389ea6d10db00a884831a4b11ca2fe390/1kamgari_FindingWords.jpg" data-mid="98570730" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e15c42f943e6911a5bc7812b34fcd66389ea6d10db00a884831a4b11ca2fe390/1kamgari_FindingWords.jpg" /> <img width="864" height="648" width_o="864" height_o="648" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ce75097d73d95cae9a56e99e286e829a7b2b816483169e37cc123b6ec4851893/6Kamgari_Turmeric_2018.jpg" data-mid="98570733" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/864/i/ce75097d73d95cae9a56e99e286e829a7b2b816483169e37cc123b6ec4851893/6Kamgari_Turmeric_2018.jpg" /> Abedar Kamgari, Finding words for the feeling (video still),&nbsp;2017-ongoing.&nbsp;Two-channel video with sound, 30 minutes 0 seconds.&nbsp;Photo taken at Blackwood Gallery by Toni&nbsp;Hafkenschied. Abedar Kamgari, Cooking with Turmeric&nbsp;(participatory performance),&nbsp;2018. Photo taken by Ivan&nbsp;Jurakic&nbsp;at the University of Waterloo. To learn more about Kamgari’s artistic practice, you can view her&nbsp;website or follow her&nbsp;Instagram account. &nbsp; (Dis)placed: A Conversation with Abedar Kamgari&nbsp; (Dis)Placed: A Conversation with Abedar Kamgari via Vimeo. You can find a full transcript of the video here.