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Join Art Museum staff on a guided tour of art exhibitions acknowledging the land at Simcoe Hall.
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For the first time in its history, the storied Simcoe Hall hosts a long-term installation of contemporary photography from the university’s permanent collection foregrounding some of today’s most respected Indigenous artists from across Canada, spanning several generations. Traditionally, Simcoe Hall displays portraits of leaders who shaped the University of Toronto’s development over nearly two centuries. In a significant gesture acknowledging the importance of making space for Indigenous voices and presence, these portraits have been moved aside to make way for works of art that honour Indigenous continuity and resilience in confronting the colonial occupation of the land.
The works included in this project bear testimony to the past and persistent intentions of colonization, its imprint on the land, reverberations in the body, and impact on contemporary life. Summoning matrilineal lines of solidarity and fortitude, they also attest to indomitable Indigenous resistance and resurgence. Drawing strength from familial, social, and beyond-human relations, some of the artists create self-portraits that emphasize their inextricable networks of connections. An equally central motif is the reckoning with the depths of historical and ongoing trauma, as colonial violence is surmounted by summoning an enduring and restorative love among community. Throughout the exhibition, portraiture elicits a re-imagining of Indigenous self-determination and strength in defying settler oppression.
Event’s Website/Socials
Where
Simcoe Hall, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto
When
April 10th, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Admission
Free. Reserve your spot here.
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