Tau Lewis & Shannon Te Ao at Oakville Galleries
Please join Oakville Galleries to celebrate our winter exhibition openings on Sunday 26 January from 2:30 pm–3:30 pm at Oakville Galleries at Centennial Square, followed by a reception at Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens from 3:30 pm–5:00 pm. Need a ride to Oakville? Get on the ARTbus (details below).
Tau Lewis: Sparkle’s Map Home
26 January – 22 March 2020
Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens
The practice of Toronto-based artist Tau Lewis is anchored in geographies of the black imaginary. Whether reanimating the histories of the Middle Passage, engaging the realities of diasporic experience, or imagining ancestral black otherworlds, Lewis’ works in sculpture and textile evoke feelings, forms and landscapes often rendered unseen. Working primarily with found textiles and foraged objects, Lewis’ works take shape through slow, labour-intensive processes such as carving, quilting and scavenging, drawing on a material and spiritual resourcefulness that has long been significant to black cultural production. For her exhibition at Oakville Galleries, Lewis re-envisions Gairloch Gardens as a scene from the cosmos, assembling a suite of new works in sculpture and textile to reflect on the possibilities of outer space as a locus of both a black past and a black future.
Free exhibition tours:
Saturday 8 February 2020, 3:00 pm
Saturday 14 March 2020, 3:00 pm
Shannon Te Ao: Ka mua, ka muri
26 January – 22 March 2020
Oakville Galleries at Centennial Square
Ka mua, ka muri is a new sound and moving image installation by Aotearoa New Zealand-based artist Shannon Te Ao (Ngāti Tūwharetoa). Exploring our experience of time, history and song, it consists of a two-channel film and a text installation drawing on original songs developed by Te Ao in collaboration with Kurt Komene (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki Whānui). At the heart of the exhibition is an acknowledgement of the critical importance of language as a vital means to maintain links to indigenous knowledge systems, culture, and identity.
Ka mua, ka muri has been co-commissioned by Oakville Galleries and Remai Modern, with the support of Creative New Zealand.
Free exhibition tours:
Saturday 8 February 2020, 2:00 pm
Saturday 14 March 2020, 2:00 pm
ARTbus: Exhibition Tour
Sunday 26 January 2020, 12:00 pm–5:00 pm
Pick-up and drop-off at the Ryerson Image Centre
$10 donation includes transportation to all galleries and afternoon refreshments
Our winter ARTbus begins at the Ryerson Image Centre with a tour of the exhibition A Handful of Dust: From the Cosmic to the Domestic guest curated by David Campany. The ARTbus will continue to the Art Gallery of Burlington to visit Division of Labour curated by Suzanne Carte. Lastly, at Oakville Galleries participants will visit the opening of Shannon Te Ao: Ka mua, ka muri and Tau Lewis: Sparkle’s Map Home.
Poetry Workshop: The Creative Muse (Ages 18+)
Saturdays, 15 – 29 February 2020, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens
Led by Oakville-based poet and author Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews, this course will introduce participants to a variety of approaches for tapping into one’s creative writing capacity. Drawing on the material of our everyday lives—along with nature, art, music and other sources of stimulation—participants will learn various techniques for translating the world around them into poetry. Various contemporary poetic forms will be introduced and considered, with participants learning how to critique and edit their own work for maximum word power, clarity and brevity of expression. No previous creative writing experience necessary. All materials will be supplied.
Free Family Workshop with Tau Lewis
Monday 17 February 2020, 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens
Bring the whole family and enjoy an afternoon of artmaking this Family Day with exhibiting artist Tau Lewis. Following a brief walkthrough of her show, Lewis will lead participants in a hands-on patchwork workshop, using found and foraged fabrics to explore how recycled materials can be readily transformed into terrific artworks. A parent or guardian should accompany children for the duration of their visit. This program is free of charge; pre-registration required.
One On One: Artist Feedback Sessions
Saturday 7 March 2020, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens
One On One is a resource for local artists interested in professional input into their practice. This season, artists in the Halton region are invited to book a 30-minute visit with one of Oakville Galleries’ curators, in which they can present their work; discuss ideas in development; request feedback on their portfolios, CVs or artist statements; or otherwise seek input into their artistic or career development.
About Oakville Galleries
Oakville Galleries is a not-for-profit contemporary art museum located 30 km west of Toronto. Housed in two spaces—one alongside a public library in downtown Oakville, and another in a lakeside mansion and park—Oakville Galleries is one of Canada’s leading art museums, driven by a belief in the singular power of art and artists to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our communities and move us toward a better world.
Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens
1306 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville
Tuesday to Sunday: 1:00 pm–5:00 pm
Oakville Galleries at Centennial Square
120 Navy Street, Oakville
Tuesday to Thursday: 11:00 am–9:00 pm
Friday: 12:00 pm–5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm–5:00 pm
Admission is free.
For more information about Oakville Galleries, our exhibitions or programs, visit www.oakvillegalleries.com or call 905.844.4402.
Images (from top to bottom): (1) Tau Lewis, Spore (dangerous solar particles), 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Cooper Cole, Toronto. (2) Shannon Te Ao, what was or could be today (again) (video still), 2019. Courtesy of the artist, Mossman Gallery and Robert Heald Gallery, Wellington.
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