June 6–October 2, 2022
This exhibit draws attention to tales that are rooted in the local environment. The artworks in this exhibition emphasize history-making as a site-specific activity through engaging with storytelling techniques unique to a certain location. The third and last installment of the I Am Land exhibition series, which examines how artists take on the role of chroniclers, is titled I Am Land That Speaks. From the collaboration and acknowledgment of non-human animals by Eric Gallardo and Tania Willard to the examination and critique of land development and private property by Lisa Myers, MADEYOULOOK, and Chris Mendoza, the program examines the unfavorable relationship we still have with the environment while also advocating changes that will enhance our shared existence. By allowing for non-linear studies of the future, it also builds on the work of the chronicler. Artists Alvin Luong and Cannupa Hanska Luger present documents of hypothetical futures. This exhibition, which explores embodied links to the earth, also includes virtual programs and off-site gardens that use participatory and community-based techniques for learning and growing together. In I am Land, the concept of collaborative history-making is empowered and public history is discussed. It is demanded that our public places represent our past, present, and future.
I am land that speaks is the third and final chapter of the I am land exhibition series curated by Maya Wilson-Sanchez for ArtworxTO—Toronto’s Year of Public Art.
How does land inform our stories? What kinds of histories are shown publically? When do our personal stories become part of dominant history?
A three-part exhibition series called I am land examines the function of the artist as a chronicler. A lot of artists are very interested in depicting the past, investigating the present, and speculating about the future. The emphasis of this series and its public activities is on the ability that people and communities have to shape their own histories. Fausto Reinaga, a Quechua philosopher, wrote “I am land that thinks” to describe the interconnectedness and collective assemblages of land, humans, and non-humans. This statement served as the inspiration for the titles of the shows. Our connections to location, as well as our ties and kinship to those around us, help to shape the stories and histories that make up who we are. These exhibitions investigate the process of making history publicly and collaboratively by examining a variety of themes and artistic techniques.
For information about upcoming programs and events, click here.
ArtworxTO Hub South Union Station directions
The exhibition is located in the West Wing and Oak Room inside Union Station. There is also an installation in the Front St. Promenade Vitrine. Wayfinding signage is present. This exhibition series is accessible.
Hours
Union Station is open daily from 5:30am to 12:45am. ArtworxTO staff are onsite to answer questions and facilitate tours 7 days a week, from 11am to 7pm.
Union Station
65 Front Street West
Toronto Ontario M5J 1E3
Canada
