Emelie Chhangur has taken her share of ribbing at U of T.
The Visual Arts graduate says she’s been ridiculed for “being able to get away with obtaining a degree from the University of Toronto by painting lines on canvases or combining found objects.”
“Insulated,” an art exhibition featuring selected artists from the U of T Visual Studies program, is about “exposing students to the process of an exhibition and their work to the public while being situated within the insular context of the university,” said curators Chhangur and Shanan Kurtz in an email interview.
“[‘Insulated’ maintains] an awkward position within the confines of the architectural structure,” states the promotional catalogue, a suitable metaphor for the program’s position within the university. “We exists in the margins,” declares the catalogue.
The university’s first curated show of student work opened on Saturday, complete with a live bongo player and a spread of entirely bright pink food—a piece of artwork itself. The work in the very bright room invites interactivity.
Emily French’s trail of stones bring out one’s inner child, emitting sound effects as gala attendees skipped across them. Gareth Long’s “Sugar for Sugar” is also playful, comprising three video screens of childhood records behind sugar-coated glass, which invite you to approach and peer in closely. Insulating the video in glass acknowledges “its limitations as a medium to preserve memory,” the catalogue explains.
Both Long and Jillian Locke use footage they have found from their past, such as family videos. Locke’s video “Catch Static” also contains imagery of childhood, using “the medium to distill time, keeping identity hermetically sealed in order to consolidate experience and to clarify time—so as not to lose it,” explains the catalogue. Patrick Borjal’s video “Anniversary” seems to stop time, surreally exploring repetition using quirky video effects on a rooftop parking lot.
“Jugs,” a display of wall-mounted castrated breast casts, is Sarah Ware’s exploration of the female experience. This, along with Jeremy Bailey’s video “8.7mb,” is probably the most self-conscious of the works. Bailey’s work mimics a newly established form of artistic expression, turning the camera in on oneself.
Chhangur and Kurtz wanted to organize a professional exhibition that followed the procedures used by galleries and would prepare the artists for entering the “real” art community in Toronto. For them, curating is “a bit like making your own work of art—by combining and juxtaposing ideas and objects, each work becomes an integral part that when put together shapes the meaning and impact of the whole—the exhibition,” said Chhangur and Kurtz through email.
The two fourth-year students have been working solidly on this project since September, undertaking all the fundraising and promotional legwork themselves.
The show hopes to raise awareness for the Visual Studies program, drawing attention to its under-funding and need for restructuring. Chhangur believes “a stronger case has to be made for the legitimacy of a studio art practice within the ‘academic’ university.”
“Insulated” runs daily until March 10, from 12-6 p.m. at 1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 206.
