Photograph by Marco Buonocore.
If i long for it,
Curated by Fatma Hendawy
One of the earliest psychological attachments to place is home, a place where children’s sense of security and safety develops, as well as, memories. To redefine home, we can embrace a larger set of elements that contribute to the development of our sense of place, away from the basic definition of “shelter” or the material definition of “house”.
Home can be a memory, a feeling, a smell, an action, a land, a person or even a constitution of all these segments.
While Toronto is going through a rapidly growing housing crisis, the building and development of our “Homes” are left to developers, politicians and urbanists/architects with a marginalized involvement of the communities these homes are built for.
This housing crisis is impacting our communities’ mental health, as home is perceived as a privilege and introduced as a commodity under a Capitalistic system.
Referencing the term “Psychogeography” which was coined by French philosopher Guy Debord in 1955, a playful and artistic reinterpretation of the relationship between humans and the built environment was introduced through different art genres and movements, including Dadaism, Surrealism and the Situationist International, as well as filmmaking and literature.
The artists in this exhibition are inviting us to envision a rather intimate redefinition of Home, one that goes hand in hand towards shaping the basis/foundation of our mental wellbeing. Whether it is people, built environment or nature, we consolidate our perception and notion of home between the tangible, the fictional, the public and the intimate.
FEATURED ARTISTS
ddadh members (claude wittmann, Serena McCarroll & I’mme)
I’mme
I was born in Tiotià:ke-Mooniyang/Montréal in 1968 of Irish, Scottish and German heritage. I have lived in T’karonto/Toronto since 1998 in alternately shared, low-cost, unaffordable and not-for-profit arts-mandated housing. The artwork I contributed to this exhibition has as much lineage in my 25-year studio practice as it does in a couple of hours’ seminal art experience in kindergarten.
Serena McCarroll received a BFA from Emily Carr Institute of Art and a MFA from Ryerson University. Her work has been shown in galleries such as Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), Stride Gallery (Calgary), The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Paved Arts (Saskatoon), The Nickle Arts Museum (Calgary) and IMA Gallery. She is the author of the book All Citizens (Conundrum Press, 2012).
claude wittmann (he/him): i identify as a white settler, transgendered and disabled artist. My current work emerges from a 15 year long performance art lineage, now manifesting itself in simple real-life actions that address income, housing insecurity and “home” for myself and other disabled artists. My aesthetic brings crisis and survival worries, the gestures that they trigger and their teachings to the challenge of being legitimized as a work of art and political intervention at the same time.
Marco Buonocore
Marco Buonocore is a Hamilton based photographer and printer whose work revolves around the analog darkroom and exploring silver gelatin materials and technology. He teaches darkroom photography and works as a printer for artists, museums, and archives.
Shady Khalil
Shady Khalil is a multimedia artist living between Toronto and different places across the African continent. His artistic practice encompasses multiple disciplines, including shadow puppetry theater, stop motion, forum theater, photography, and filmmaking.
Khalil is a recipient of the Toronto Arts Council (TAC) grant for Newcomers and Refugees.
Anita McKernan
Anita McKernan is a photographer based in Toronto. Her work has been featured in three exhibitions with Workman Arts. Her images range from depictions of personal life to nature and street photography. She studied digital photography at George Brown college and works with film in 35mm and medium format. Her latest series Mirror Mirror can be found on her website www.anitamckernan.ca
Julie Riemersma
Julie Riemersma is a queer commercial photographer and multimedia artist based in Toronto. They work with themes of queerness, mental health, memory and societal change. She enjoys experimenting with emerging digital technology and analogue processes. She integrates using pallets and textures with a sense of nostalgia and exploration. Her past shows included site-specific installation, interactive sculpture, video/photo timelapse, needlecraft, and photographic collage.
HISTORY OF BEING SCENE
Being Scene is an annual juried exhibition of recent artwork by Workman Arts members and individuals who have accessed the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) services in their lives.
Being Scene began over 20 years ago on the grounds of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Over the years, Being Scene has exhibited juried surveys of thousands of artworks by Workman Arts member artists as well as artists with lived experience who have received services from CAMH. Being Scene is an invaluable professionalization experience for artists, consistently reaching audiences of over 5,000, allowing for a greater understanding of diverse experiences. Artists have given shape to compelling ideas and narratives, covering a wide range of conceptual and material approaches. Being Scene has been shown in spaces such as The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto Media Arts Centre, various Artscape locations, and at CAMH.
For further information, interviews or images, please contact Tai Nguyen at tai_nguyen@workmanarts.com
To receive email updates about Being Scene’s annual exhibition launch sign up for the mailing list.
OPENING RECEPTION
- THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
- Workman Arts OFFSITE at Youngplace
- 180 Shaw St, Suite 302, Toronto
- 6:00 - 8:00 PM
GALLERY HOURS
- SEPTEMBER 12 - OCTOBER 3, 2024
- THURS TO SUN, 12 - 5 PM
- Workman Arts OFFSITE at Youngplace
- 180 Shaw St, Suite 302, Toronto
ACCESSIBILITY
QUESTIONS ABOUT BEING SCENE OR HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY? CONTACT:
FATMA HENDAWY
VISUAL ARTS MANAGER
fatma_hendawy@workmanarts.com
PURCHASE ARTWORK FROM BEING SCENE 2024:
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT BEING SCENE 2024?
Special thanks to the Toronto friends of the visual arts for supporting Being Scene.
Interested in sponsorship? Click here to download our sponsorship package or contact Tai Nguyen, Communications Manager, for more information.