Written & Edited by CLUTCH Vol. 8 Participant: Jessica Chiong
CLUTCH visited various art galleries and museums this past Saturday, searching for identity and representation of ourselves as individuals and as a culture through the work of other artists, while simply appreciating them for the wonderful pieces they are.
Our first visit was the BATA Shoe Museum where CLUTCH participant Nina Escalante was working on traditional Filipino embroidery for her artist residency. However, she was the only place in the museum that celebrated Filipino culture. Nina expressed her dismay at the lack of representation in the museum and felt left out after we had left the institution, saying we were the only people who understood or even cared to learn more about her work. These disappointments opened us up to new ideas about how our culture may be represented in the museum.
Our second stop was the Museum of Inuit Art, which was focused on Inuit culture and heritage which got us thinking about the importance of our own roots.
Next was my personal favourite, The Powerplant Contemporary Art Gallery which housed modern art pieces and made for many “Instagram-worthy” posts.
We then headed over to City Hall to scope out a Myseum of Toronto exhibit called Move To Work | Work To Move by art group She Moves, where we found ourselves represented through the exhibit of a fellow Filipina woman who shared her story of being an immigrant who successfully found her place in Canada.
At Urban Gallery, CLUTCH made a stop to admire the artwork of our very own, Armie Bulatao. This piece is titled “The Urban Eye” at Centennial College’s year-end exhibit, “Tempt”.
The Younger Than Beyonce Gallery (The Rebel Zone: Queen Street West (1975-1989) was all about vintage Toronto, rebels, and activism.
Finally, the Daniel Spectrum Hallway Galleries held various pieces that not only showcased our current generation, but every artist’s individual culture. Two exhibitions were showcased: Where Are You Really From? and Black Toronto 2116.
