From September 28th to December 15th, Griffin Art Projects presents Future Worldings, a group exhibition of six artists whose practices have an emphasis on decolonial practices: Wezile Harmans, Lebogang Mogul Mabusela, and Pebofatso Mokoena from South Africa, and Nura Ali, Sun Forest, and Xwalacktun from Canada. Co-curated by Lisa Baldissera, Usha Seejarim, and Karen Tam. The culmination of a project years in the making Future Worldings features new and recent work in a variety of media, from sculpture to video, performance to print-making, in what will be.
“We are incredibly honored to bring together such a diverse and talented group of artists for Future Worldings,” says Baldissera, director of Griffin Art Projects. “Their work not only reflects the complex histories and ongoing dialogues around decolonization, but also offers a unique opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and understanding. This exhibition is a testament to the power of art in fostering connections and its endless possibilities for worldmaking, imagined through collaborative visions of the future.”
The exhibition is one part of a larger project encompassing three unique in-person residencies, a one-day conference, and a public program series. It builds upon the themes explored in Griffin’s 2021 Worldings international virtual residency program which featured the same artists, who met one another online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project draws upon the parallel histories of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in Canada and South Africa to reflect upon the trajectory and impact of colonization in both countries.
The first residency was in May and June, when Xwalacktun travelled to Johannesburg for one week to meet curators and artists, and visit various arts organizations, including Bag Factory, the University of Witwatersrand, and Artist Proof Studio.
In August, the project continued with an artist retreat presented in collaboration with the Similkameen Artist Residency, providing the artists with deep insights into the region’s history and introducing them to local artists and cultural practitioners, and organizations in the region, including Kelowna Art Gallery, UBC Okanagan, and the En’owkin Centre.
The final residency will take place in Vancouver in September, where the artists will engage in a one-month creation period at Griffin Art Projects, connecting with the city’s history through onsite work and interactions with curators and cultural workers and arts and culture organizations, including Emily Carr University, the Museum of Anthropology, and the Museum of Vancouver. Artists will deliver student workshops and talks, including, for Lebogang Mabusela, being hosted as artist-in-residence through the Print Media department at Emily Carr University.
The artists were selected in partnership with the studio space Bag Factory in Johannesburg, as well as drawing from Griffin’s own residency program. Xwalacktun was the inaugural Indigenous Award Winner and Sun Forest was a recipient of the BIPOC Studio Award. Notably, this exhibition will mark the Canadian debuts of the three South African artists, in addition to co-curator Usha Seejarim.
An international conference co-produced with the Jake Kerr Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research and the Aboriginal Gathering Place at Emily Carr University will be held on campus on Sept. 28, 2024.
For more information and details on Future Worldings, visit griffinartprojects.ca/exhibitions/future-worldings