Koffler Centre of the Arts Reopens with A Heap of Random Sweepings

The Koffler Centre of the Arts launches its new season with A Heap of Random Sweepings, the first major solo exhibition in Toronto by multidisciplinary artist Sameer Farooq.

The Koffler is pleased to announce the reopening of its gallery doors on September 25, 2021 with the first major solo exhibition in Toronto by multidisciplinary artist Sameer Farooq. A Heap of Random Sweepings is an immersive installation of new and recent sculptural, photo and print works, articulating a deeply poetic space to reflect on the fraught and violent histories of anthropological and encyclopaedic museums, their colonial origins, structures and impulses.

The exhibition takes its title from a text fragment of Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus – “The fairest order in the world is a heap of random sweepings.” Contained in this duality of opposites is the idea that the most organized and just attempt at a universal order is equally as flawed or filled with balance and beauty as an arbitrary pile of refuse. Considering this paradox, Farooq’s neatly choreographed yet changeable assembly invites us to interrogate our relationship with art objects and museum displays, as well as the ordering narratives they uphold.

The installation elicits prolonged attention, asking us to look intently and to spend time with the objects’ presence as well as the absences they evoke. The audio environment composed by Farooq’s collaborator Gabie Strong (Los Angeles, CA) sets a deliberate and slow pace. The artworks offer themselves as tools for meditation and openings to ponder an intrinsic potential that transcends their aesthetic value. Lyrical captions contributed by poet Jared Stanley (Reno, NV) unsettle the rigid format of institutional labels and imagine the objects’ own voices.

Raising questions about provenance and repatriation, the sculptures and images assembled in this installation articulate new visions for repurposing the emptied spaces of museums devoid of their spoils. The installation’s physical arrangement will change a few times throughout the run of the exhibition, emphasizing the fluidity of thought necessary for shifting entrenched practices. Mining the possibilities offered by sustained engagement, Farooq invites us to envision what the museum might become through the mechanics of restitution, what it may shift to collect and document, and what kind of experiences it could nurture.

A Heap of Random Sweepings runs from September 25 to November 14, 2021.

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A Heap of Random Sweepings is generously supported by lead exhibition partner, TD The Ready Commitment and artist support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Read more about A Heap of Random Sweepings here and review our COVID-19 guidelines for planning your visit here. The Koffler Gallery is located in Artscape Youngplace on Shaw Street, just north of Queen Street West, Toronto. Admission is free. Public gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 12–5 PM.

ABOUT THE KOFFLER
The Koffler Centre of the Arts is a cultural platform that explores critical ideas and concerns of our time through a year-round program of exhibitions, publications, performances, literary events, digital initiatives and arts education programs. We examine complex issues through transformative art experiences that stimulate intercultural dialogue and promote social change. Through our in-gallery and off-site programs, the Koffler engages thousands of visitors each year. From school children and teens, to newcomers and seniors, we provide vital opportunities for self-expression and community connection, including to those in greatest need.

As a Jewish organization, we value – and aim to foster – social justice and equality while nurturing a passion for learning and understanding. We position Jewish identity in conversation with diverse perspectives and global voices to examine complex issues in a respectful, constructive way. These principles support the Koffler’s engagement with the best contemporary creative minds in producing and presenting art that provides common ground for experiences shaping our shared cultural life and defining our social values.

Read about Koffler’s new policies here and follow our programs and artistic collaborations in the months ahead.

Visit us online at kofflerarts.org

Image: Sameer Farooq, A Heap of Random Sweepings (installation detail), 2021. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

MEDIA CONTACT
Tony Hewer, Director of Marketing, Communications & Archives
647.925.0643 x224, thewer@kofflerarts.org

The Koffler Gallery and its administrative offices are located at Artscape Youngplace, in Toronto’s vibrant West Queen West art and design district. The Koffler Centre of the Arts acknowledges the support of the Koffler Family Foundation, Cultural Season Sponsor CIBC Wood Gundy, the Ontario Arts Council through the Community and Multidisciplinary Arts Organizations Program, TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, our donors and patrons. The Koffler Gallery gratefully acknowledges the support of the Toronto Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council.