In 2008, at 32, I experienced psychosis. and spent many subsequent years in my thirties giving up on life. I have begun to claw my way out of that difficult, consuming, and confusing period.

This exhibition is about building strength, resilience, and courage through kindness towards yourself and others. I am interested in asking, how does one cope with the parts of self one doesn’t want to face? How can one deal more productively with the emotions schizophrenia conjures? Schizophrenia is a major life derailment. It is an extreme state of mind, and most certainly, a call to courage for those who have experienced it. And in my mind, it is a spiritual crisis.

Cultural X is an online, annual showcase for Trent University’s Cultural Studies Undergraduate Art Exhibition, presented on Artspace’s website. Students in studio courses are invited to submit their work for the prestigious the Gregory R. Frith Memorial Prize.

Until recently, Hall’s work has largely consisted of wall-mounted relief sculpture in the format of sequences and grids. These works combined shapes of Minimalism with gestures of Abstract Expressionism.

As Artspace’s 2022 Artist in Residence, Hall began experimenting with vertical, floor-based work, creating a series of large-scale drawings and maquettes that led to full-scale sculpture, the goal of which was exploration of the visual impact of a vertical format while considering the conceptual and aesthetic potential of repetition in her work.

Performance/Process presents the intense imagination and artistry of Brad Brackenridge, Artspace’s 2021 Artist-in-Residence. Providing a glimpse into the creation of puppets and puppetry, Brackenridge offers the inner workings of his methods and busy studio. His artistic process starts with character building, the forms of which materialize into captivating, stand-alone works of art. By way of movement, manipulation, imagination, and story-telling savvy, Brackenridge breathes life into sculptural objects as performance subjects.

The Circle Project is an evolving collaboration of artists and formerly incarcerated women in Vancouver, dedicated to producing provocative art together.

Guest curated by Amy Siegel, Creative Director of the ReFrame Film Festival

Port Manteau is a series of new video and sculpture works by Toronto based artist Mikiki. The work created for Port Manteau follows a self-led research trip, during which the artist returned home to Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland to reconnect with family and land.

Curated by Lucas Cabral

Cultural X is an annual showcase Trent University’s Cultural Studies Undergraduate Art Exhibition. The students students in studio courses are invited to submit their work for the prestigious the Gregory R. Frith Memorial Prize.

Moursi presents a multitude of considerations to the viewer: What if singular patriarchal voices of religious sermons were interpreted through mime and dance? How would neon lights adorning mosque minarets look as sculptural objects? How do residents of Cairo challenge authoritative architectures and urban master plans, whilst creating new meanings for public space and land use?

Artspace presented works by David Bobier, as well as collaborators, Leslie Menagh and Kelly O’Neill.

The Mornings in Reverse invites us to consider the relationship between memory and anxiety through the lens of reflection.

The Hidden Anatomy brings together the disassociated. The elements of work, practice, repetition, and experimentation that are done behind closed doors are brought to the forefront. It is an exposition of how and why choices are made and presented. This is not a negation of the past; this is a drawing out. An examination. Accepting our failures, and moving through them. This is a negation of mediocrity. An acceptance of learning. A willingness to listen.

In 2010, Ann Hirsch intercepted VH1 hit reality TV dating show “Frank the Entertainer in a Basement Affair”. As “Annie”, Hirsch performed as one of fifteen women trying to win over Frank Maresca, himself a former reality TV contestant on “I Love New York 2” and “I Love Money”.

connections of gestures explores beaded animation in video, still life, and beaded works. Carrie Allison was inspired by beadwork held in museums across Turtle Island, how these pieces hold ancestors, tell stories and connect us through time and space. Through combining animation and beadwork the artist seeks to visually narrate the practice of beading and bring viewers closer to an understanding of beadwork’s animacy.

In MAKE/SHIFT, Bulman uses sheets of drywall and the gallery’s physical architecture to bring attention to the barriers, both physical and ideological, that continue to exist in the contemporary art world. Employing a disability framework, the work invites audiences to explore ableism in the gallery setting.

Abundance is a new project by Shellie Zhang featuring sculptural, photographic and installation-based works. The exhibition combines visual cues from imagery of plentiful fruit in produce advertisements and cultural rituals as a metaphor for the dreams and labour that extends across oceans and generations.

The project is accompanied by Bulaklak, a performance for the camera by Maria Patricia Abuel. A personal meditation on matriarchal roles and sacrifices, the artist honours and reclaims the traditions she’s inherited.

___a lineage of transgression___ explores language as a tool to challenge the limitations of systemic definitions of Blackness and womanhood. As writers, poets, teachers and creators - Kameelah Janan Rasheed and Jamilah Malika Abu-Bakare - use film, audio, photocopies, collage and text to play with the materiality of words.