SPECULATIONS

From May 1st to June 22nd, 2019.

What if colonization and trans-Atlantic slavery had never occurred? What if victims of horrific violence came back to haunt us? What if humans make it another 3000 years? The upcoming exhibition Speculations pulls inspiration from Daniel D. Shade’s definition of speculative fiction, presenting the work of artists engaging with a simple question: what if…? This exhibition is a display of the various ways in which Black, Indigenous and people of colour artists utilize speculation as a powerful device to reflect on their position in the universe, the world and society.

Much in the way that Kara Walker and Kent Monkman have employed the strategies of allegory and satire to open discussions on devastating topics, the artists included in Speculations carve out space and time for marginalized communities to flirt with alternate ways of being. The work of Sonny Assu, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Nep Sidhu among others, invite viewers to consider the crucial paradigm shifts that allow for the “what if’s” and the “what could be” of contemporary society.

Opening on Wednesday, May 1st, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.