What Moves Us in the Middle

Tony Cade Bambara writes that the role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible. To not only decorate the world with our work, but to also illuminate it. Art shouldn’t only entertain us, it must remind us of what’s important. I revere the words of Bambara as a responsibility which calls me to use my artistic practice for envisioning freedom-making futures.

For this exhibition, I am interested in investigating principles rooted in movement building and solidarity work that artists have either cultivated in their body of work or are in the pursuit of finding. When we are moved by injustice, we can rely on art as practice to say and do the right thing – without fear of isolation, and in the presence of collective power.

What Moves Us In The Middle is a proposition that encourages artists and viewers alike to explore finding principles in relation to community, principles that can be used as a guide to remind ourselves and each other of what’s important. It is a proposition that requests artists to commit and recommit themselves to mirroring advocacy efforts both locally and globally. By recreating my studio in the gallery, I am inviting artists and community members to convene, collaborate, and do the work of reflecting each other’s processes with a promise to generate meaningful action for when we find ourselves in need of it.

Sahra Soudi is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator, and community organizer based in Hamilton, Ontario. They combine their activism and artistic practice to envision better and more just futures for all. Soudi advocates for the inclusion and participation of Black, Indigenous, disabled, and racialized communities in a range of settings, from artist-run centres, and DIY venues, to national galleries. Soudi is an emerging artist and curator, passionate about cross-movement solidarity and disability justice. They honour this framework by empowering and mobilizing their communities to push for radical change.