Import . Export

Simone Roth
Zoë Bockasten
Melissa Palermo
Connor Crawford
___

January 2015

In collaboration with Ryerson University the Gallery presents four promising new media art students from Ryerson’s School of Image Arts. Interdisciplinary by nature, their works investigate ideas relating to art, technology, identity and social concerns. Simone Roth’s installation Me, Myself, and You explores selfhood and the interplay between the genetic blueprint and the socio-cultural network to which a person belongs. Mind Power, an interactive sculpture by Zoë Bockasten, seeks to demonstrate the positive effect of human interaction on mental health. In Melissa Palermo’s piece (de)Coding Resistance, poetry, illustration and codes are used to critique and reflect on personal experiences, broad societal issues and the ways our identities intersect. Imported Auras by Connor Crawford explores the relationship between objects and their value, and the act of documentation.
The artworks in this show surprise, entertain and provoke; they trigger actions and reactions between objects and ideas, creators and users. These artists offer multi-sensory experiences for the viewer, reflect the pulse of current art practices, and expand traditional notions of what art can be.
We wish to thank our neighbour, internationally acclaimed artist and instructor at Ryerson, Norman White, for coordinating this show.