My Mother’s Tongue

Mohau Modisakeng, Inzilo, 2013, video still

My Mother’s Tongue
Featuring works by artists Joi T. Arcand, Insoon Ha, Mohau Modisakeng, Baljit Singh, and James Webb

Art Gallery of Mississauga
April 26 – July 13, 2025
Curated by Musha Neluheni, AGM TD Programming Curator

Opening Reception: Saturday April 26, 2025, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
No registration required. Refreshments will be provided.

The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) is proud to present My Mother’s Tongue, a group exhibition of contemporary art that investigates the suppression of language and identity across different cultures and histories.

Throughout the centuries, from early colonialism to communist Eastern Europe and Apartheid South Africa, the powers that be banned Indigenous languages, stole land, and muted cultural identity. The history, language, and art of the colonized were usurped by what the aggressors deemed as politically and culturally appropriate, thus silencing any form of dissent. This led to a sense of mourning; an experience of loss and grief of not just the physical self, but also the spiritual self.

My Mother’s Tongue looks at this silencing of different cultures, from South Korea and Canada through to South Africa and Pakistan. Through different artistic mediums, it exposes the exploitation and incarceration of people’s multi-dimensional identities. Language is passed down through generations of a culture’s history, ensuring its survival. The works in this exhibition explore how one navigates loss, disconnection, anger, and pain after their mother tongue has been silenced. This violent act is a recurring practice throughout history and continues to this day. Featuring works by artists Joi T. Arcand, Insoon Ha, Mohau Modisakeng, Baljit Singh, and James Webb, My Mother’s Tongue gives a platform to these voices that once were silenced, and a chance to reawaken them through art.

This exhibition is made possible thanks in part to a donation from TD Bank Group through its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment. My Mother’s Tongue asks: What happens when cultural inheritance is stolen? The artists in this exhibition examine the consequences of forced linguistic erasure while celebrating the enduring strength of cultural identity.

Funding for the Art Gallery of Mississauga is provided by the City of Mississauga, Canada Council for the Arts, TD Bank Group, Rama Gaming House, and Charitable Gaming Community Good.

Opening Reception

The AGM warmly invites the public to the exhibition’s opening reception on Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Registration for the opening reception is recommended but not required. Artists and curator Musha Neluheni will be in attendance and available for interview. More information and registration details can be found at bit.ly/EventsAGM.

Insoon Ha, Dirge, 2022, mixed media installation, dimensions variable. Installation at the Art Gallery of Guelph, 2023.

About the Artists

Joi T. Arcand is from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Treaty 6 Territory, and currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario. Recent solo exhibitions of her work have appeared in Ottawa, Saskatoon, Dawson City, Saskatoon, and Regina, as well as group exhibitions at the National Gallery in Ottawa and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. She received her BFA from the University of Saskatchewan, and recently completed a degree in nêhiyawêwin from the University nuhelotʼįne thaiyotsʼį nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills.

Insoon Ha was born in Seoul, South Korea, and is currently based in Toronto, Canada. Her practice spans sculpture, installation, performance, photography, and video, and has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Guelph; the Whanki Museum in Seoul; La Centrale Gallery, Montreal; Latitude 53, Edmonton; the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto; McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton; and the Albright-Knox Museum, Buffalo. Ha holds both a BFA and MFA from the University of Seoul and an MFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Mohau Modisakeng was born in Soweto, South Africa, and lives and works between Johannesburg and Cape Town. He studied at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale; the Sydney Biennale; the MOCADA, Brooklyn New York; Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria; the Museum of Fine Art, Boston; 21C Museum, Kentucky, Massachusetts; IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Saatchi Gallery, London; and the Dak’Art Biennale, Dakar.

Baljit Singh is an analogue photographer and multidisciplinary artist based in Mississauga, Canada, whose work spans a spectrum from glossy editorials to intimate documentaries. She has participated in international exhibitions in Toronto, London, and California. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Toronto Life, Globe and Mail, Elle, Flare Magazine, National Post, The New Republic, and Huffington Post.

James Webb grew up in South Africa and completed a degree in Comparative Religion at the University of Cape Town. He has exhibited his work at prominent institutions worldwide, including solo exhibitions in Stockholm, Chicago, Paris, Madrid, and South Africa, among others. He has participated in the Monheim Triennale, Islamic Arts Biennale, Biennale d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Biennial of Dakar, Documenta, Biennial of Sharjah, Bienal de la Habana, and the Venice Biennale. Webb currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

About the Curator

Musha Neluheni is an artist and curator from Johannesburg, South Africa who joined the AGM in February 2024 as TD Programming Curator. She previously served as Contemporary Curator and Acting Chief Curator at the Johannesburg Art Gallery and was co-curator of the South African Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale. Neluheni has held positions on the Standard Bank Art Committee and the Theme Panel for the South African Mint. She holds a BFA from Rhodes University.

For more information, visit www.artgalleryofmississauga.com

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About Art Gallery of Mississauga
The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) is a vibrant and dynamic gallery that showcases the work of local, national and international contemporary artists. It is our mission to bring art to the community and the community to art through compelling exhibitions, interactive workshops and thought-provoking events. Located in the heart of downtown Mississauga, we offer a free and accessible space where all are welcome. The AGM is located inside Mississauga Civic Centre at 300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga, ON.

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