Fragmented Realities: University of Manitoba 2019 MFA Thesis Exhibitions

Fragmented Realities
University of Manitoba 2019 MFA Thesis Exhibitions
Gayle Buzzi, Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi, Breanne Siwicki

The School of Art and School of Art Gallery are pleased to present Fragmented Realities, the thesis exhibitions and oral examinations by Master of Fine Art students Gayle Buzzi, Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi and Breanne Siwicki. During the exhibition period, each student will have an oral examination that will also be open to the public.

Exhibition
May 10 – June 7, 2019
Reception: June 7, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Oral examinations
June 3, 2:00 pm: Breanne Siwicki
June 5, 2:00 pm: Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi
June 6, 2:00 pm: Gayle Buzzi

Gayle Buzzi: Accidental Landscapes

Accidental Landscapes is an installation of fragile, glass sculptures that address the relationships that non-human animals develop with humans in urban centers. By depicting animals that are prevalent in the urban landscape, Gayle Buzzi encourages viewers to contemplate their relationships with the specific animals and the natural world more broadly.

While growing up in Northwestern Ontario, Gayle was exposed to many aspects of nature and she now finds her inspiration from the natural world.

Gayle attained her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at Lakehead University in 2016 and will graduate in 2019 with her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba. She is attending a summer session at Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington in July 2019 and will pursue her artistic career in her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Her previous exhibitions include: Perspectives from Here at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (2017) and Contrasts and Contradictions: The Polarizing Qualities of Glass at the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga, ON, 2018). She is also part of an upcoming 2019 group exhibition, En Route, at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery (Waterloo, ON).

Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi: The Lies That Make Us Voiceless

Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi is an Iranian artist who received her Bachelor in Graphic Design from Soore University in Tehran, Iran in 2013 and is graduating with her Master of Fine Art from the University of Manitoba’s School of Art. She is a research-based multimedia artist who specializes in photography and short films. Her interest is in revealing people’s lived experiences of gender bias and stereotypes. As a young woman coming from a religious country, her focus has been on how young Iranian men and women have experienced sexism in recent years, images of which cannot be easily represented in Iran due to censorship. She uses a Canadian platform to publicize this religion-based gender inequality in Iran.

The Lies That Make Us Voiceless focusses on addressing women’s rights in Iran through the personal experience of the artist. This installation includes a series of photographs and a video that manipulate visible reality to show the hidden truth. The photograph, The Silent Mask, is based on the scold’s bridle, an 18th century British torture device, in combination with the Iranian borgheh, a face covering still in use in some parts of Iran. Pure is a short film that shows ghusl, the Islamic ritual activity of cleansing one’s body to be accepted by God. This installation advocates for education and awareness of hidden inequalities within a complex culture.

Breanne Siwicki: Never Pass a Mirror Without Looking in It.

Our bodies face continuous stress throughout a lifetime, physically and mentally deteriorating and changing as we age. As humans, we each have a unique vessel and I am in a constant state of wishing to preserve my own. Never Pass a Mirror Without Looking in It is an exhibition consisting of manipulated Polaroid images. There are nine floor-based installation works that are meant to be walked through and around. Viewers are urged to strain their bodies in order to search for a figure within each piece.

Breanne grew up in Winnipeg Manitoba where she spent the majority of her life as part of the Manta Swim club. This seventeen-year career, that included representing Canada in swimming competitions all over the world, became a huge influence on her artistic practice.

Breanne attended the University of Minnesota where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017. In her previous photographic work, she used black and white analog film, printing her images in the darkroom and then embedding color into them. She now creates installations from scanned manipulated Polaroids. She will finish her Master of Fine Art degree at the University of Manitoba in 2019.

Labour, Work, Action. Contemplation

Curated by Jamie Wright with Donna Jones
Exhibition
May 15 – June 25, 2019
Reception: June 20, 4:30 – 6:30 pm

One hundred years ago, from May 15 – June 25, the city of Winnipeg was consumed with tensions generated by a strike in which 30,000 workers walked off their jobs, essentially paralyzing the city. The strike aimed to acquire equitable treatment for labourers through collective action, and while it did not immediately achieve these goals, it paved the way for the success of later political and labour activities in Canada.

In recognition of this anniversary the School of Art Gallery presents a selection of 25 works on the theme of labour from its permanent collection. Art about activism, about work of individual labourers, labours of love, labour to survive – each of the works has a direct connection to work, workers, and working conditions in both urban and rural locations. Selected works are by H. Eric Bergman, Alex Colville, Greg Curnoe, Nicoleto Damondena, Max Dean, Aganetha Dyck, F. Wynn Graham, David Itchkawich, Joanne Jackson Johnson, Joshim Kakegamic, Ronald Kostyniuk, Vladimir Lebedev, Bernie Miller & Alan Tregebov, Daphne Odjig, Frank Pimentel, Lucy Qinnuayuak, Charles Scott, Joe Tilson, Ernest Wilson, and Wes Wilson.

Information:
For more information about the exhibitions, contact Donna Jones, 204.474-9322
donna.jones@umanitoba.ca
umanitoba.ca/schools/art/MFA_Thesis_Exhibitions
umanitoba.ca/schools/art/Labour_Work.html

For more information about the oral examinations, contact Heather Nicolson, 204.474-8294
heather.nicolson@umanitoba.ca

School of Art Gallery
255 ARTlab, 180 Dafoe Road
204.474.9367
umanitoba.ca/schools/art

Hours
Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Closed on statutory holidays.

Accessibility: The School of Art (ARTlab) is accessible. To obtain an accessible parking pass, contact Parking Services: 204.474.9483; or email parking_services@umanitoba.ca.

Parking: ARTlab is located on Dafoe Road next door to Taché Hall and Drake Centre. Casual visitor parking is available in nearby lots ACW and AC. Parking is free in these lots after 4:30 pm on weekdays, and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Images details courtesy of the artists:
Left to right: Gayle Buzzi, Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi, Breanne Siwicki