Vivek Shraya: I give myself a future, I give myself a past
Mitchell Art Gallery 1110 104 Avenue (Room 11-121, Allard Hall), Edmonton, Alberta
Vivek Shraya: I give myself a future, I give myself a past
In Vivek Shraya's new immersive, photo-based installation, the multidisciplinary artist imagines a different youth and a possible future for herself through a series of portraits:
In the absence of homophobia, misogyny and racism, who might I be and who might I have been.
Event: Opening Reception September 16, 7 – 9 p.m.
An opening reception for the exhibition will be held in the first-floor atrium of Allard Hall, outside of the Mitchell Art Gallery. All are welcome (no RSVP required).
Event: In Conversation with Vivek Shraya and Collaborator Zachary Ayotte: September 16, 6-7pm
Join us for a live moderated Q&A session with Vivek Shraya and her collaborator, Zachary Ayotte. Together, they will discuss the processes they engaged to work together on this new body of work and on their past projects, the embodied experience of photographing yourself and how the medium helps us imagine the future.
This event will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday, September 16 at the Betty Andrews Recital Hall (located on the main floor of Allard Hall) and is free to attend with an RSVP. Please reserve your seat on Eventbrite (link below).
An ASL interpreter will be present during the Q&A session. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any accessibility concerns.
Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. Shraya’s visual art practice spans several photo essays including the internationally acclaimed Trisha, featured in Vanity Fair, Village Voice and India Today, and in solo exhibits in New York City and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, as well as Trauma Clown, featured on the cover of Now Magazine and Legends of the Trans, recently featured at Esker Foundation.
Her album Part-Time Woman was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, and her best-selling book I’m Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as “cultural rocket fuel.” She is also the founder of the award-winning publishing imprint VS. Books, which supports emerging BIPOC writers.
A seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, Vivek was a Pride Toronto Grand Marshal and has been a brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics and Pantene. She is a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation, and is currently adapting her debut play, How to Fail as a Popstar, for television with the support of CBC.