Exhibition Dates: Saturday, May 13 – Sunday, August 27, 2023
Opening Reception + Artist Talk: Saturday, May 13, 2 – 4 PM
Toronto Shuttle Bus: Saturday, May 13. Pickup from Factory Theatre at 12 PM. Return departure from the VAC at 4:00 PM.

The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington (VAC) invites you to attend its Summer Exhibitions Opening Reception on Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 2 – 4 PM. Join Curator Megan Kammerer for a guided walkthrough of this season’s multimedia installations alongside exhibiting artists Adam Basanta and Heather Nicol. Visitors from Toronto are invited to take a free shuttle bus to/from the reception; please visit our events page for more details. Registration for the shuttle bus is required.

Installation View of Heather Nicol, Tornado Pod, In/Future Festival, Ontario Place, Toronto, 2016.

Heather Nicol: Prelude/Reqiuem

Heather Nicol’s newest audio installation Prelude/Requiem positions itself at both extremes of the human life cycle. Built upon songs for lulling infants to sleep or easing passage into a final resting place, this immersive sound installation uses multichannel audio and light to encourage introspection across oral cultures. Prelude/Requiem emerges from a twelve-year research practice in which the artist collected audio recordings that she made during encounters with her family members, fellow creatives, migrant youth, newcomers, travellers, and friends. Every fragment is a capsule of connection. Its inflections preserve the sensitivity, vulnerability, and generosity of each encounter to celebrate the power of aural gathering.

The VAC’s sunlit Loft Gallery becomes a sheltered listening space for reflection on how our individual and shared experiences overlap. Its peaceful environment encourages introspection, remembrance, and attention through generous acts of listening. Visitors are encouraged to slow down, recline, and rest in the installation’s soft setting.Together we can navigate the sounds that console us and commemorate the aural stories that ease us through fundamental transitions. We can practice communal listening as a radical act of care.

Installation View of Adam Basanta, Arco (mmxxii), Civitella Ranieri, Italy, 2022.

Adam Basanta: Every Beloved Object

Adam Basanta’s Every Beloved Object returns to ancient architectural techniques as it looks toward new systems of human consumption. By returning to basic motions of trash collection and architectural assembly, we reflect on our early origins to create new monuments to everyday debris. Trash becomes artifact. A potshard may reveal archaic customs around communal gathering, a broken seal may illustrate sacred mythology or trace trading routes across newly divided landscapes. If garbage tells us the most about ancient people, what can our waste tell us about our current behaviours?

Basanta’s exhibition of new work returns to ancient architectural techniques as it looks toward new systems of human consumption. Each piece exerts forces on its neighbour while resisting the same compression in return. The bricks are formed through DIY methods of trash compaction using materials sourced from local industries and waste management facilities. By returning to basic motions of compaction and assembly, we reflect on our early origins to create new monuments to everyday debris.

About the VAC
The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington (VAC) is a not-for-profit public art gallery and art education centre located in Bowmanville, ON. The organization was incorporated in 1976, with the mission of delivering contemporary art to the Clarington Community, the wider Durham Region, and beyond. The VAC has a 47-year history of community engagement, connecting people of all ages and backgrounds in a creative place for artmaking and learning.

Accessibility
The VAC is not yet a fully accessible building with stairwell access to our third-floor Loft gallery. Accessible parking is available with front entrance access via ramp. Outward-opening doors permit access to our exhibition spaces. Although these doorways are not automated, our staff is happy to assist visitors as needed. Please call or email us if you require additional accommodations so we can meet your needs or provide extra seating. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Address:
Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, 143 Simpson Avenue, Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 2H9
Gallery Hours: Please visit our website
Visit: www.vac.ca | Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

The VAC is proudly funded by