RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting

Expand

Rajni Perera, "Ancestor 2," 2019

mixed media on paper. Courtesy of the artist and Patel Brown Gallery, Toronto.

RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting

Featuring twenty-seven artists living and working across Canada, the US, and the UK, RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting explores the multiple and complex meanings of the idea of the diaspora, its condition, and its experiences as expressed in painting. 

“Diaspora issues and concepts are of particular importance to me as a person of colour, born in Canada with mixed Asian origins,” says curator and director Cheryl Sim.

The wide spectrum of interpretations and fruitful relationships attached to diaspora experiences knows no bounds, which promotes constant dialogue with notions of kinship and identity in the current context of globalization and mass migration. First presented at the PHI Foundation, Montréal in 2020, we are proud to be able to extend this important exhibition and bring the work of these exceptional artists to Calgary.

Artists:

Larry Achiampong, Hurvin Anderson, Kamrooz Aram, Firelei Báez, Frank Bowling, Cy Gavin, Barkley L. Hendricks, Lubaina Himid, Bharti Kher, Moridja Kitenge Banza, Rick Leong, Manuel Mathieu, Julie Mehretu, Jordan Nassar, Yoko Ono, Maia Cruz Palileo, Rajni Perera, Ed Pien, Jessica Sabogal, Curtis Talwst Santiago, Marigold Santos, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Shanna Strauss, Mickalene Thomas, Salman Toor, Hajra Waheed, Jinny Yu

Curated by Cheryl Sim

Meet artist Sydonne Warren and poet Nastassia Aikman

We are pleased to continue our ongoing monthly RELATIONS Engagement Series with artist Sydonne Warren, and poet and performer Nastassia Aikman. Discover and register below for the upcoming free workshops for children and youth led by Sydonne and Nastassia.

Nastassia Aikman fell in love with poetry as a small child growing up in rural Jamaica. The iconic Jamaican poet and folklorist, Louise Bennett-Coverley influenced her craft and soon Nastassia began writing and performing her own poems. Nastassia is a performing artist who mainly writes in her Jamaican dialect, "Patois" and can be found performing her pieces in and around the city of Calgary at various events.

Sydonne Warren is a Jamaican-Canadian artist specializing in large-scale expressive paintings, murals, and digital design. Her artwork often showcases high contrast subjects, bold colour palettes, and a mixture of expressive strokes, drips and rigid lines. Her themes reflect her experiences as a Jamaican-Canadian immigrant, woman and mother. She uses her perspective to share her desire for the African diaspora to occupy, impact and own space.