The Carleton University Art Gallery has unveiled their fall exhibits, featuring a variety of mediums examining several social issues, with inclusivity, diversity, and hard historical truths tying the exhibits together.
Four brand new exhibits are on display, curated by Emily Putnam, Heather Anderson, and Rebecca Dolgoy.
On the lower level of the gallery, two exhibits, both curated by Heather Anderson, are displayed.
SuperNova is an exhibit that consists of a short film written by, directed by and singularly starring Iranian-Canadian artist Rah. SuperNova tells the story of three main characters competing on an reality competition television show.
The film explores and challenges society’s ideas of race, gender, ethnicity, and social media. It’s set in a futuristic galaxy and displays a custom wooden structure under blue, eerie lighting that mirrors the essence of the film, creating a truly immersive experience.
Saints and Madonnas is a photo series by Carleton alum Olivia Johnston. As a former Raven, Johnston’s advice to the young artists on campus is to “find your tribe and work your butt off. Find your community and do work that feels right to you.”
Her exhibit includes a series of photos displayed as prints in frames designed and hand-gilded by Johnston herself. The photographs depict various religious figures as modern contemporaries.
“We look to art to see ourselves,” said Johnston. This exhibit was her way of “mak[ing] the Madonna into somebody we can all connect to,” she added.
Johnston said “religion is obviously a big part of Western art history,” and said her work is a modernization of a classic artistic trope.
Combining historical themes, and contemporary techniques and motifs in CUAG is the goal, said gallery director Sandra Dyck. She said she wants the space “to show some contemporary art, some historical work.”
Student involvement with the curation of the exhibits was also a focus, with Carleton PhD student Emily Putnam partnering with Rebecca Dolgoy to curate the two exhibits on the upper level of the gallery.
Sites of Memory: Legacies of the Japanese Canadian Internment is an art exhibit that contains drawings, multi-media paper creations, photos, and film. This exhibit was created by Cindy Mochizuki, Emma Nishimura, and Norman Takeuchi. The works share the stories of Japanese-Canadians who were impacted by the internment of Japanese people in Canada during the Second World War.
Inheriting Redress: The Ottawa Japanese Community Association Archive is a visual representation of the redress campaign that began in Ottawa in 1988. The redress campaign focused on addressing the wrongs, including internment, dealt to Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War and providing compensation to those negatively affected by the Canadian government’s policies.
This exhibit includes historical documents, catalogues, news clippings, and reports. There are also paintings, posters, and collages on display, which encourage viewers to learn about past relations in order to create an equal future.
These exhibits will remain on display in St. Patrick’s Building until Jan. 26, 2020.
Feature image by Tim Austen
