Halfway
March 21–31, 2018
Opening Reception:
Wednesday March 21, 5–7pm
Between
April 4–14, 2018
Opening Reception:
Wednesday April 4, 5–7pm
Works by: Mark Aguirre, Julia Bonavita, Gedi Chen, Baoyi Huang, Yihan Li, Cherie Novecosky, Heather Riley, Chelsea Ryan, Heather Shanahan, Yu Sung, Alissar Soujaa
Curated by Concrete Collective
Exhibition dates: March 21–31, 2018
Opening Reception: Wednesday March 21, 5–7pm
Blackwood Gallery, Kaneff Centre
Lunchtime Talk: In Conversation with Artists and Curators
March 28, 12–1pm
Blackwood Gallery, Kaneff Centre
Featuring: Yihan Li, Cherie Novecosky, and Heather Riley
Concrete Collective will host a lunchtime artist talk and walking tour, in conversation with three artists featured in Halfway, part one of the Art & Art History Graduating Exhibition. Attendees will be guided through the exhibition, spanning the Blackwood and e|gallery, as we address the themes and practices explored in the work of these emerging artists.
Works by: Angelica Brzyska, Donald Fitzgerald, Kiana James, Abigail Nowak, Yan Liu, Sonia Pajakowski, Becky Santo, Emiley Webb, Charley Yip, Helen Yuan, Olivia Zaloski
Curated by Interstice Collective
Exhibition dates: April 4–14, 2018
Opening Reception: Wednesday April 4, 5–7pm
With a special performance by Olivia Zaloski
Blackwood Gallery, Kaneff Centre
Lunchtime Talk: In Conversation with Artists and Curators
April 11, 12–1pm
Blackwood Gallery, Kaneff Centre
Featuring: Angelica Brzyska, Emiley Webb, and Olivia Zaloski
Halfway / Between is a two-part exhibition that considers the interstice between the internal and external in the work presented by the 2018 graduating class of the UTM and Sheridan joint Art and Art History program. Exploring the concept of interstice as the space between two things (often a small or narrow space), the exhibition highlights the transitional place that these emerging artists currently occupy, as they prepare to create a life outside of the University as an institution. The exhibition reflects on the space between artists, and considers the physical (external) forms of their work as well as the internal spaces that inform their practices; somewhere halfway.
Halfway presents the work of eleven graduating artists. The exhibition spans two gallery spaces on the University of Toronto Mississauga campus (the Blackwood Gallery and the e|gallery), and highlights the artists’ diverse perspectives and approaches, while concurrently allowing for an interplay between the spaces. The works are equally united and isolated within their shared space. Both galleries are dimly lit, emphasizing the unknown interstice—the awkward and often nerve-wracking metaphysical space between present and future. With the conclusion of Halfway comes a literal halfway point, creating an interstitial transition towards the second half of the graduating exhibition.
In Between, the second half of the graduating exhibition, eleven artists explore physical phenomena such as natural disasters, human anatomy, and the natural world; as well as internal themes such as dream symbolism, the connections formed by relationships, and representations of the human psyche. These seemingly disparate elements are not set in opposition to one another. Instead, the artists’ works are connected through an exploration of individual interstitial moments, and the viewers are encouraged to take charge of their own spectatorship as an active audience connected by the work.
For more about the exhibitions, follow Halfway / Between on social media:
Instagram: @halfway_between
Twitter: @halfwaybetween_
Facebook: halfwaybetween2018
Snapchat: @Halfway_Between
About the Curators
Halfway is curated by Concrete Collective, a collaboration between Mark Aguirre, Yossie Bolanos Cordero, Mackenzie Boyd, Yifei Cao, Morgan Garside, Janine Holdsworth, Jae Ng, Emiley Webb, and Wenjie Zhao.
Between is curated by Interstice Collective, a collaboration between Brendan Bradley, Natalie Chan, Anran Guo, Nada Hafez, John Ryan Manahan, Nico Mara-McKay, Aaliyah Mitchell Harris, and Abby Nowak.
Both collectives are composed of curatorial students from FAH451: Curating Now, under the mentorship of Dr. Christine Shaw, Director/Curator of the Blackwood Gallery and Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Studies.
This two-part exhibition is created in partial fulfillment of FAH451: Curating Now: Turning Concepts into Curatorial Projects. This course is a part of the newly offered Curatorial Studies Certificate Program in the Department of Visual Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga. The exhibitions were developed with the support and guidance of Blackwood Gallery staff Petrina Ng (Exhibition Coordinator) and Alison Cooley (Curatorial Assistant & Collections Archivist), and Marco Cheuk (Installation Technician).
Students graduating from the Art and Art History program receive both an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto Mississauga and a Diploma in Art and Art History from Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. The program is designed to provide students with a strong and diverse base of knowledge that prepares them for a broad spectrum of careers within the arts community and beyond. Alumni have pursued careers in teaching, both at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, while others go on to earn their Masters in Studio Art or Art History. For more information please visit www.artandarthistory.ca
