Akshata Naik , Bloody Boats: Infinite Journeys 2.0, 2021. Site-specific installation. 7,000 paper boats pinned on foam core wall surfaces.
HOME(LAND) is a multimedia exhibition project examining how concepts of landintersect and dialogue with the fluid, and shifting characteristics of identity, belonging,and home across and between races, regions, cultures and nations.
Throughout a series of three (3) exhibitions, HOME(LAND) investigates the complexissues surrounding contemporary cultural discourses on global migration, site, andidentity. Artists from diverse backgrounds whose practice and work are infused byunique interracial complexities, examine questions on concepts such as kinship,ancestry, memory, and racialization. Through a multilayered conversation, the works inthese exhibitions also make a reference to the four elemental energies or primaryelements from which all of life is created, water, fire, air and earth, inviting the audienceto contemplate and locate their own identity and worldview in relation to these concepts.
This exhibition project and its programming also consider the possibility of openingdiaspora discourses by holding spaces from a perspective of reconciliation where artistsfrom different backgrounds and indigenous peoples are able to share their experiencesand commonalities in relationship to the land, as it encompasses a deep sense ofcommunity, spirituality, and identity for both.
The first exhibition, HOME(LAND): Bodies of Water, examines water as the first element we came to know, as it gently cradled us and held us. Water is one of the four elemental energies or primary elements from which all of life is created, along with fire, air and earth. Water is a predominant and vital element that connect us to the land and to one another.
A body of water is any significant accumulation of water, generally on a planet's surface. Some bodies of water collect and move water, such as rivers and streams, and others primarily hold water, such as lakes and oceans. Let's not forget that water is in some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight comes from water. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water, making us an important living and intersectional aquatic ecosystems.
Throughout different cultures, traditions and belief systems, the element of water contains varied semiotic and symbolic means. The works selected for this exhibition explore this element and its different means in unique emotional, spiritual, cultural and socio-political ways.
Image description: Shabnam Afrand, The Green Summit, 2021, Multimedia Installation.
Onaman Collective (Isaac Murdock - Christi Belcourt), Protest Banners, 2014 - Ongoing. Inkjet print on adhesive vinyl.
Akshata Naik works When the sky meets the ocean and Bloody Boats: Infinite Journeys reference the fluid notion of migration and its complexities when ‘starting a new life’ and physical, social and emotional transition takes places echoing voices of unsettling journeys from a local and global perspective. Mirna Chacín, Elegy for the Souls on Hold, explore the concept of water as a healing vehicle which allow communities to grieve and mourn the loss of their loved ones particularly during the current pandemic but also during the migration journey of many around the world. Blue Series by Peter Owusu-Ansah is a personal and emotional exploration of the colour blue and its infinite shades. This series evoke naturally a metaphor of the representational characteristics of the water by using blues alone in the aspect of squares. Each work provokes different kind of emotions from light and darkness, joy and mystery.
Shabnam Afrand reflects on mythological and symbolic elements and historical geopolitical characteristics that come from her Iranian heritage. In the Green Summit she investigates the concept of life and death by creating a memorial that reference fluent natural elements such as blood which nurture many cultural and contemporary political vertices. The Protest Banners by the Onaman Collective conformed by Isaac Murdoch and Christi Belcourt are a critical and pressing statement for water and land protection actions and in support of land protection. These banners representing wildlife and natural elements, accompanied by slogans protesting pipelines and phrases related to its indelible connection to First Nation spiritual traditions continue to to rise awareness about ongoing exploitation of natural resources and extractive activities.
Image description: Peter Owusu-Ansah , My Blue Series,
Digital-generated art printed on canvas, 2020 - 2021.
Mirna Chacín , Elegy for the Souls on Hold, 2021. Immersive video mapping installation with an augmented reality component.
