Main Gallery
Tropicana
Juan Ortiz-Apuy
August 1st – November 9th, 2024
Touring exhibition produced by VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine
When confronting the environmental crisis, in which unbridled production of goods is threatening the diversity of the natural world, it’s essential that we take an interest in how things are displayed, commercialized and consumed, whether in brick-and-mortar store windows or online.
This youth exhibition, specially designed for kids and teenagers aged 6 to 14, casts a critical eye on modern consumer society and advertising aimed at children, which often features animals, colours, sounds and shapes designed to appeal to them. For the occasion, Montreal-based Costa Rican artist Juan Ortiz-Apuy has created a visual and sound environment allowing visitors to explore the language of advertising and its ability to act on us, in sometimes unexpected ways. The artist based his research on new marketing strategies that have emerged in the social media era, i.e., the phenomenon of “unboxing” and ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos. A genuine foray into the world of objects, this exhibition seeks to examine the way we consume today—always with a touch of humour—to better understand its future impacts.
The exhibition Tropicana was produced by VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine with financial support from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
Photos courtesy of VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine
Satellite Gallery
The Body Politic
Shar Soroosh, Jackson Bailey and Khadijah Morley
August 10th to December 21st, 2024
Curated by Nadine Bariteau
This exhibition The Body Politic showcases the voices of three Toronto-based, emerging, Canadian Artists, all of whom were once students of Nadine Bariteau in the Printmaking and Publication Department at the Ontario College of Art and Design University.
During that period, a favorite assignment of Bariteau was to teach about the history of posters and their political impact, and then assign students to create work that mattered to them. The outcome was powerful and profound.
The Body Politic explores themes of personal identity, gender, and the body. Shar Soroosh (she/her), an Iranian Canadian artist; Jackson Bailey (they/them), a transgender non-binary artist; and Khadijah Morley (she/her), a first-generation Jamaican Canadian artist. Nadine Bariteau has also included an artwork from her personal collection. Thanks to Paz Pereira for her poster My Body My Choice. Each artist asserts their own narratives and choices through the artwork presented. It is not the right of anyone to speak someone else’s truth.
Our political identities are shaped not only by familial and social influences, but also by the historical context, culture, political systems, and generational experiences that surround us. These influences collectively shape our personalities. Today, the body has become a battleground for complex societal debates—a tool used to gain political leverage at the expense of minority and marginalized communities. This is not a new phenomenon; historically, it has affected Indigenous peoples, Black communities, people of colour, women, and currently, those seeking gender affirmation.
This exhibition serves as a reminder that asserting our own identity, gender, and bodily autonomy is a powerful political act. However, it is crucial that our identities are not co-opted and exploited for political gain to stigmatize members of our communities.
Artworks from Shar Soroosh, Jackson Bailey (totes and handkerchiefs) and Khadijah Morley are for sale, please email for inquiries:
Christina Jones
Gallery & Shop Manager
admin@crartgallery.ca