There and Here

Curated by Abedar Kamgari

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 26, 2:00-4:00 pm

There and Here investigates how emerging Canadian artists in diaspora are exploring, constructing, and challenging identity through their art practices. The women in this exhibition occupy precarious spaces between multiple cultures and use their unique positions to address heteronormative gender roles and representational politics specifically as they apply to women of colour. At a time when the global refugee crisis is a common topic of conversation, There and Here looks to these young artists to better understand the experiences of migrants in a country that prides itself on its multiculturalism. Baba contemplates the nostalgia and longing that incites immigrants’ desire to preserve cultural traditions outside of their homeland. Hosseini’s kinetic works comment on the flattening of culture that occurs through appropriation and generalization, forcing viewers to confront their biases and preconceptions. To’s paintings deal with the overwhelming feelings of alienation and loneliness that many immigrants face as they try to navigate often contradicting personal and sociocultural expectations. There and Here presents three diverse voices on identity and immigration, hoping to start a dialogue on diasporic experiences of young first and second generation Canadian women of colour in Hamilton’s growing art scene.

An extended publication featuring essays by Abedar Kamgari and Barbora Racevičiūtė accompanies this exhibition.

Auxiliary Programming

Friday, April 9, 6:30-7:30 pm
Panel discussion with curator Abedar Kamgari, writer Barbora Racevičiūtė and artist Nedda Baba. Moderated by Bahar Orang. Audience Q&A to follow

Saturday, April 23, 2:00-4:00 pm
Catalogue launch with essays by Abedar Kamgari and Barbora Racevičiūtė

Saturday, May 7, 2:00 pm
Free Curatorial Walkthrough

Documentation of panel discussion with curator Abedar Kamgari, writer Barbora Racevičiūtė and artist Nedda Baba. Moderated by Bahar Orang.

Nedda Baba born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1993, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art at York University. She has participated in several group exhibitions in Toronto, where she currently resides. Nedda has been recognized for her work during her undergraduate studies through various awards and scholarships; in 2014 she was nominated for The State Hermitage Museum Young Artists Program and was a finalist for the 2015 Aimia | AGO Photography Prize scholarship. Inspired by the tensions between subject and authority, her work is reflective of personal narratives and how they subvert the perceived objectivities of dominant discourses in education, religion, war, and the media. Her practice vacillates between staged studio pieces, found materials, and interactive installations.

Diana Hosseini was born in Montreal, Canada in 1986. She works predominantly with found or imagined objects and kinetic media to create sculptures and installations. Inspired by the sounds and actions of the objects she selects, as well as events ranging from privately personal to culturally or socially significant. Diana completed an MFA in sculpture at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2013 and a BA in Medical Anthropology and Fine Art at the University of Toronto Scarborough in 2010. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada, including Toronto, where she is currently based.

Nikkie To is a Chinese-born Canadian painter and multidisciplinary artist. She received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from McMaster University in 2014, participated in Red Gate Residency, Beijing in 2015, has run a successful Indiegogo Artist-in-Residence Crowdfunding Campaign, and has received the Capacity Building Initiative: Travel Grant from Canada Council for the Arts. Her work has been exhibited in Hamilton, Toronto, and Beijing, as well as having been published in Incite Magazine, ON; Fierce Magazine (Digital Publication), ON; and The Artist Catalog, NY.

Abedar Kamgari is an emerging artist and the curator of There and Here. She has lived in three countries, five cities, and seventeen different houses. Her studio practice focuses on an exploration of personal identity by means of an investigation of immigrant experience. The perception and representation of women of colour within Canadian society are ongoing areas of research fueling her practice. Abedar currently resides in Hamilton while pursuing a BFA in Studio Art at McMaster University with an interest in critical writing. Her work has been exhibited in Hamilton, Toronto, and in the United States, and is owned in private collections in both countries.

Exhibition documentation courtesy Abedar Kamgari and Nikkie To.