May 12, 2016 to October 2, 2016
Punctured Landscape
What do you remember from History class?
The year 2017 brings the notion of past, present and futures to mind as we prepare to mark our country’s sesquicentennial. Punctured Landscape illustrates this milestone by transforming Âjagemô into a continuous topography. This is a curatorial gesture inspired by the federal government’s recent commitment to welcome Syrian refugees to Canada in addition to the ongoing efforts at decolonizing our society. It recognizes the breadth of this land and its parallel histories. These histories include Indigenous sovereignty and asylum seekers from afar – histories that are marred by strife, but buoyed by the persistence of the land and the diverse stories that make up Canada’s cultural landscape and inform who we are as a nation. This exhibition illustrates how the land, a witness to colonization and violence of various kinds, perseveres.
Punctured Landscape is a meditation on the Canadian social landscape of living memory. The artworks annotate the struggles present along the journey. Here, certain artworks stand-in for larger social inequities and moments of unrest amid the landscape. These works, and the moments in our collective, living memory that they represent, are to be understood as punctures. The 17 artworks brought together here ask the viewer to (re)consider their interpretation of history, legacy, and possible outcomes for the future.
Punctured Landscape goes to Washington
The largest exhibition by Canadian artists in the Art Museum of the Americas’ history, Punctured Landscape opens on Thursday April 27th from 6-8pm and will be on view until July 30, 2017.
The AMA will also be inviting members of the public to the following panels inspired by the exhibition:
- May 24th at 3h30 pm: The Evolution of Rights and Legal Protection of LGBTI persons in Canada and the Americas
- June 14th at 3h30 pm: Promoting and Protection the Rights of Indigenous People in Canada
The exhibition is organized in collaboration with:
Featured Spotlight Articles
Punctured Landscape: Reflections from the Curator
What do you remember from History class? When do events in our social consciousness pass from news to something that will be taught to future generations of students? Who decides what merits remembrance?
Simon Brault’s speaking notes for the G7 Culture Summit in Florence
The director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts participated in the first G7 Culture Summit in Florence. Speaking as the cultural expert for Canada, he contributed to the conversation on the major cultural and heritage issues faced by the G7 countries. Here are his speaking notes.
Opening Doors to Reconciliation
In 2016, Six Nations Cayuga artist Samuel Thomas led 42 workshops in 8 communities across Ontario and Saskatchewan — bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples together.
Working together Initiative for refugees
The initiative that we announced in December, The Arts and Culture Welcome Refugees, was officially launched today. While modest in itself ($200,000 in total), this pilot initiative is part of the wider government and civic movement to welcome Syrian refugees.
Gallery
Barry Ace (1958 - )
Mixed media on Epson Archival canvas
Collection : Canada Council Art Bank
Robert Adrian (1935 - 2015)
Installation: collage on model airplanes
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Pierre Ayot (1943 - 1995)
Silkscreen and hockey sticks
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Carl Beam (1943 - 2005)
Photo emulsion and ink on paper
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Rebecca Belmore (1960 - )
Colour photograph
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Shane Davis (1957 - )
Enamel, oil crayon, etc., on wood
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Andy Fabo (1953 - )
Oil stick, collage, etc.
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Trevor Gould (1951 - )
Pastel and pigment on paper
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
David Hlynsky (1947 - )
Digital print
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Robert Houle (1947 - )
Collage: label, newsprint, etc. on paper
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Suzy Lake (1947 - )
Colour photograph
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Ruth MacLaurin (1942 - )
Graphite on paper
Collection : Canada Council Art Bank
David Neel (1960- )
Bxw photograph
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Julie Oh (1984 - )
Colour photograph
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Carl Stewart (1964 - )
Wool
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Joanne Tod (1953 - )
Oil on canvas
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Dennis Tourbin (1946 - 1998)
Silkscreen
Collection: Canada Council Art Bank
Kegan McFadden
Kegan McFadden is a Winnipeg-based writer, curator, and artist whose projects blur the line between cultural research and storytelling. McFadden has organized exhibitions for artist-run, university, and public galleries throughout Canada over the last decade, employing a curatorial method that is purposely subjective, in order to reposition received narratives and highlight alternative approaches to discourse.
Contributors: Barry Ace, Robert Adrian, Pierre Ayot, Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, Shane Davis, Andy Fabo, Trevor Gould, David Hlynsky, Robert Houle, Suzy Lake, Ruth MacLaurin, David Neel, Julie Oh, Carl Stewart, Joanne Tod, and Dennis Tourbin.