Logs: Opening Reception

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LOGS
Curated by Tak Pham
October 29 – November 19, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 29 from 2-5PM
FEATURING WORK BY
Rouzbeh Akhbari & Ash Moniz
Benny Hunter
Mariam Magsi
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Logs explores how personal identity affects our ways of moving through space and places, and how these movements form our perceptions of reality. Examining the theme of movement, migration, trade of both humans and nonhumans that are fueled by the demands of hyper-capitalism, Logs gestures at the Canadian history of logging (a practice that fueled capitalism and supported colonialism), the use of logs and rafts as a mode of transportation across water and land, and the material logs that archive various histories of movements.
The exhibition positions itself within a western late-capitalist context to consider how trade agreements and laws such as the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Bill C-51, and Bill C-24 allow for easier exchanges of human and material capital and impose restrictions on others. Logs attempts to unpack the ideological construction of “expat” and “immigrant” – where an individual identity is inherently tied to social economic relations and spatial navigation created by tensions between historical and contemporary global/international treaties and policies.
Projects from artists Rouzbeh Akhbari and Ash Moniz, Benny Hunter, and Mariam Magsi examine the contradictions between seemingly “beneficial” treaties and their material and experiential outcomes. Questioning terms such as “efficiency”, “nation”, and “speed”, this diverse group of artists demonstrate a politically rigorous ambivalence towards finding solutions to these complex local, national, and global issues. While some focus on their perception of navigation as foreigners, others shine light on the struggles of navigating spaces that are programmed to suppress them. Together their works present the audience a multifaceted perspective on the historical and contemporary realities of movement.
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Funding for Exhibitions+ programming has been provided by the City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council and ArtReach Toronto.

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