Celestial Bodies
Dayna Danger, Duane Isaac, Roberto Fatal
A Space Main Gallery, A Space Windows
October 17 – December 9, 2023
Curated by: Jesse King
Copresented by: A Space Gallery and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Reception at A Space Gallery Wednesday October 18 at 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Our reception is part of imagineNATIVE's 24th annual Art Crawl! The Art Crawl runs from 4-10pm and moves across multiple Toronto gallery spaces, including Onsite Gallery, A Space Gallery, Trinity Square Video, Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space, Vtape, YYZ Artists' Outlet, and the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, with a closing reception from 8 - 10 pm at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
More details about the Art Crawl at https://imaginenative.org/events/artcrawl/
The Deconstruction of Gender Roles in Colonial Society
The exhibition Celestial Bodies explores the experience of Indigenous identities, Two-Spirit and indigiqueer, and gives a space for the rarely recognized voices to be heard by like-minded individuals. The exhibition permits viewers to experience and question the colonial presence of societal norms regarding identity, gender, and sexuality. The exhibition aims to deconstruct and abolish gender roles through the themes of desire, euphoria, despair, and dysphoria.
Celestial Bodies was made possible through the curatorial residency at daphne (with funding from the Conseil des arts de Montreal’s Indigenous Residency program)and articule, with funding from the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts.
For info on all imagineNATIVE copresented exhibitions visit https://imaginenative.org/exhibtions
Biographies
Dayna Danger is a 2Spirit/Queer, Metis/Saulteaux/Polish visual artist raised in so-called Winnipeg, MB. Using photography, sculpture, performance, and video, Dayna Danger‘s practice questions the line between empowerment and objectification by claiming space with her larger-than-life scale work. Danger’s current use of BDSM and beading leather fetish masks explores the complicated dynamics of sexuality, gender, and power in a consensual and feminist manner. Danger is currently based in Tio’tia:ke. Danger holds an MFA in Photography from Concordia University. Danger has exhibited her work in Santa Fe, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Peterborough, North Bay, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Banff. Danger currently serves as a board member for the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective (ACC/CCA).
Duane Isaac, a talented artist of Mi’gmaq descent, hails from Listuguj, Quebec. His unique artistic vision combines photography with contemporary fantastical masks, inspired by both Indigenous knowledge and the queer gaze. Using found objects, recycled materials, and basic supplies, Isaac’s work is of an ephemeral nature as the pieces created are temporary, eventually lost in time. Duane’s passion for photography led him to study at Dawson College, and his work has since been exhibited in numerous shows across North America. Additionally, his artwork has been featured in national publications, gaining recognition for its powerful blend of cultural and social commentary.
Roberto Fatal [they/them/ellos] is a Meztize Chicana filmmaker and storyteller. They come from Rarámuri, Genízaro, and Spanish ancestry. Their Queer, gender fluid, Mestize/Mixed identity informs the sci-fi films they make. Their work centers on humans who sit at the intersections of time, space, and culture. From this unique vantage point, these characters can bridge divides, see all sides, find new paths forward, and recall multiple histories long forgotten. The mixed people of Fatal’s stories can connect us deeply to an undercurrent of humanity that we often overlook in a world that is increasingly divided. Survival, intersectional identity, perseverance, love, empathy, community, connection, and creation are at the heart of their characters and films. Fatal is a Sundance Film Institute Native Film Lab Fellow Alum and an imagineNATIVE Director’s Lab feature film fellow alum. Their debut feature script, ELECTRIC HOMIES, was selected by GLAAD x The Black List as one of the best-unproduced screenplays of 2022. Their latest short sci-fi drama, Do Digital Curanderas Use Eggs In Their Limpias, made its world premiere at the British Film Institute’s Flare festival in 2023.
Jesse King, born Ojibwe from Wasauksing First Nation (Eagle Clan), is based in Toronto. They completed an undergraduate photography degree at OCAD. King’s work and curatorial interests frequently explore the many facets of identity, including discussions of queerness, gender, the importance of cultural representation, and how visual art is closely tied to the core of culture. King’s work has been exhibited internationally in Berlin, Germany, and Tampere, Finland. Their work has been printed in several independent publications, including fashion magazines such as Wonderland Magazine.