Main Gallery

Objects of Care

Aram Siu Wai Collier,
Jenny Kim, Provocations by Sean Lee and Yvonne Felix
Curated by Serena Zena

Exhibition Dates: October 18 - November 22, 2024

Opening Reception Friday, October 18, 7-9pm

Curatorial Statement/ Show Overview:

What does ‘care’ mean to you?

 

Everyone’s definition is different. Some interpretations may overlap, intersect, or run

parallel without ever meeting. Your understanding of care is deeply influenced by your

cultures, upbringings, homes, habits, and rituals.

 

The artists in Objects of Care explore this theme in the modern context. Nuanced and

personal, yet tethered to the digital world. Imagery of domesticity brings the works

together, inviting you in. A randomized parental apology generator awaits a conversation

at your dining room table. Your closet is flooded with colourful unnatural light, while your

living room holds an array of intangible objects, some familiar, some not.

 

Objects of Care creates a space for you to engage, experiment, and reimagine what

care signifies to you.

 

– Serena Zena, Curator




About the Artists:

Aram Siu Wai Collier is a filmmaker, educator, and film festival programmer. He is currently the Artistic Director at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. His feature, documentary, and experimental films such as Stand Up Man, A Sweet and Sour Christmas, and The Others, have played festivals across North America and internationally. Aram is a mixed-race Asian Canadian/American (Chinese and English/Dutch/German) originally from San Francisco and is now based in Toronto, Canada.

 

Jenny (Hyemin) Kim (she/her) is a mixed media artist currently residing in Tkaronto (Toronto, Canada). She graduated with a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in Psychology at McMaster University and is currenting pursuing an MFA in Visual Art at York University. She also continues her practice and research as a Research Assistant of the Sari-Sari Xchange, a SHHRC RDGI sponsored project. Born in Korea, raised in the Philippines and working in Canada, Jenny explores concepts relating to her experience living in various cultural backgrounds. Through her practice, Jenny critically engages in concepts such as diaspora, critical race theory and intersectionality based on her lived experiences.




about the Exhibition Series & Sari-Sari Xchange Project:




From September 6th, 2024 to February 22, 2025, the Sari-Sari Xchange will collaborate

with Centre[3] to host a series of four exhibitions, showcasing the evolving landscape of

digital media. Through artwork, events, and interaction, each exhibition will feature

artists from the Sari-Sari Xchange project who explore digital media through various

experimental methods.

 

Their approaches encompass a range of technologies, from collaborative projects to

interactive installations to digital remixes. This dynamic series will highlight how these

artists push the boundaries of digital expression and engage with new technologies,

offering a diverse and evolving perspective on the applications of digital media. Curated

by Serena Zena, each presentation will explore themes of care and technology,

representations of space and identity, relationships between body and the digital

environment and intergenerational connection through digital media.



The Sari-Sari Xchange (SSX) is a SSHRC funded community-building research &

creation project driven by artists from the Asian diaspora that collaborates with a

network of artists, cultural workers, and researchers all coming together to foster more

inclusive expression in futurist world-making through XR technologies. The SSX reflects

the collaborative partnership between Tangled Art+Disability, Reel Asian Toronto

International Film Festival, Centre[3] for Artistic and Social Practice, York University and

McMaster University. We undertake exploration in emergent XR technologies and new

storytelling techniques, address under-representation and issues of systemic racism as

well as inaccessibility of these new technologies for both creators and users. Through

activities like Tech Jams, supporting artistic production in XR in the residency program,

and co-creating asset libraries, we work to have more inclusive representation and

better accessibility to emergent technologies.



For more information about the Sari Sari Xchange please visit the website:

https://sarisarixchange.mcmaster.ca/ or Instagram: @sarisarixchange




Curator Bio:

Serena Zena (she/her) is an emerging artist and curator based in Canada. Her multidisciplinary practice delves into the lived experiences and cultural narratives of the Asian diaspora in Canada. Central to her work are themes of identity, intergenerational relationships, and Asian futurism. Her practice blends storytelling with both traditional and emergent media ranging from textiles to extended-reality.