University of Waterloo Art Gallery

June 12 – 28, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 12, 5 – 8pm

Breanne Jeethan
The System is Broken

The System is Broken is a body of work based on the artist’s experiences as a worker in the Emergency Department of a hospital. The series represents abstract scenes of the clinical workspace and is a response to the fast-paced, stressful environment that is rife with trauma, high emotions, and anguish. Working between the emergency room and her studio, the artist uses the symbiotic relationship between the two workplaces as a fuel to create her work. By manipulating and distorting found imagery created by various medical technologies, abnormalities in the imagery are created to signal the bureaucratic structures and power imbalances that undermine healthcare. The resulting series speaks to both the artist’s continuous navigating of her state of in-betweenness, but also to the overarching hierarchical nature of the medical system.

Breanne Jeethan (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist and healthcare worker based in Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario. Her experience in graphic design has projected her practice in a mix of analog and digital printmaking. Her practice explores themes of the body, medicine, and trauma with the use of internal imagery like X-rays, ultrasound scans, and angiogram brain scans. She has displayed her work at Durham Art Gallery, Durham; Xpace Cultural Centre, Toronto; Northern Contemporary Gallery, Toronto; and Small Arms Inspection Building, Mississauga. She is the recipient of the Sylvia Knight Award in Fine Arts (2025). Artist Instagram

Admit Everyone
University of Waterloo Art Gallery
East Campus Hall, Room 1239
519.888.4567 ext. 33575
Website
Facebook
Instagram

Contact
Ivan Jurakic, Director/Curator
519.888.4567 ext. 46741
ijurakic@uwaterloo.ca

Hours
Wednesday to Saturday 12 – 5pm
Or by appointment

Mobility
Ground floor entry
Automated doors available at west entrance to Fine Arts (ECH)
Wide pathways
Accessible washrooms on ground level

Driving
263 Phillip Street, Waterloo
East Campus Hall (ECH) is located adjacent to Engineering 6 (E6)
Campus map

Parking
Visitor Parking available in B Lot (E6) or Q Lot (EC1)
Pay via AMP mobile app, $7.25 Flat Rate
Search “AMP Park” in app store or scan QR code on parking signs
Campus map

Mailing
University of Waterloo Art Gallery
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1

Image credit and description: Breanne Jeethan, Cyclical (detail), 2025, print, MDF, black lights, ink. Image courtesy of the artist. Description: Detail of a large format abstract print. The image is primarily ultramarine with neon green highlights activated by black light.