Ontario Culture Days 2025 Creative in Residence: Roda Medhat

Roda Medhat, photo by: Ishkhan Gazarian

Ontario Culture Days 2025 Creative in Residence
Roda Medhat: Hidden in Plain Sight

September 19 – October 12, 2025
Guelph, ON
onculturedays.ca

Ontario Culture Days is your invitation to connect, discover, and celebrate arts and culture in your community. Under the thematic banner The Shape of Memory, this year’s eight Creatives in Residence projects explore themes that include ritual, dreams, ecological interdependence, migration, and cultural histories, through diverse mediums and evocative visual language.

During the festival, Creative in Residence Roda Medhat will debut Hidden in Plain Sight, a poignant project that highlights cultural identity.

On the rooftop of 10C Shared Space, a bold inflatable sculpture comes alive with the colourful patterns of Kurdish rugs—reimagined with a playful pop-art sensibility. For artist Roda Medhat, these motifs are more than striking design; they are carriers of history and memory, preserving the stories and traditions of Kurdish communities across generations. By bringing these patterns into the heart of downtown Guelph, Medhat transforms them into statements of the power of cultural identity, the importance of visibility, and the ways in which identities can be both pervasive and yet hidden within modern urban life.

Be part of the celebration! On Monday, September 22, join Ontario Culture Days for a special opening reception and artist talk at 10C Shared Space, and hear directly from Roda Medhat about the ideas and inspiration behind Hidden in Plain Sight.

On Saturday, October 4, Roda Medhat will present a hands-on workshop exploring the creative potential of 3D scanning. In this session, you’ll learn the fundamentals of 3D scanning technology by working with a personal, sentimental object of your choice. This artistic workshop offers a unique blend of technology and craft, encouraging reflection on memory and preservation.

Roda Medhat: Hidden in Plain Sight
September 19 – October 12, 2025
10C Shared Space: 42 Carden Street, Guelph
Free | Learn more

Opening Reception & Artist Talk: Hidden in Plain Sight by Roda Medhat
Monday, September 22, 6:30pm – 9pm
10C Shared Space: 42 Carden Street, Guelph
Free | Learn more

3D Scanning Workshop with Roda Medhat
Saturday, October 4, 12pm – 3pm
Makerspace at the Guelph Public Library, Westminster Square Branch: 31 Farley Drive, Guelph
Free | Learn more

Presented in partnership with the City of Guelph and 10C Shared Space.

This program is proudly sponsored by EQ Bank.

About Ontario Culture Days

Ontario Culture Days invites you to join the celebration! Attend, connect, and participate in free events, workshops, performances, and exhibitions in more than 150 communities, and 16 official festival hubs, throughout the province. Ontario Culture Days is supported by the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Ontario, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), EQ Bank, the Toronto Star, Le Clos Jordanne, Destination Northern Ontario, and VIA Rail.

onculturedays.ca
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Instagram @onculturedays

Image Description:
Portrait of a man in a white shirt, with a close focus on his face. He has facial hair and is positioned indoors, set against a backdrop of colourful artwork.

Akimbo is a media partner of Ontario Culture Days 2025.