Vernice Tse, Drawings, 2020. Courtesy the artist.
BFA Graduating Exhibition 2020: Are We All We Are
April 16 – May 7, 2020
@sfugalleries
PLEASE NOTE: AUDAIN GALLERY IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OUR PUBLICS.
ARE WE ALL WE ARE HAS BEEN RE-IMAGINED FOR INSTAGRAM AND CAN BE FOLLOWED HERE.
Aidan Branch, Rachel Chan, Ann Cheng, David Cheung, Josie Dawson-Whisker, Tiffany Fan, Kim Grewal, Yanting Jiang, Alexis Johnston, Aaron Lampitoc, Shelby Lu, Haylee Marx, Opal Mclean, Lukas Paul, Victoria Tai, Tiffany Tam, Vernice Tse, Emma Tynan, Kitty Walker, Elisha Wang, Rachel Warwick, and Carmen Wong.
This exhibition presents the work of visual art students graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.
We are the art that doesn't know where it's going until it's there, that emotes, that seizes time, that sees the world.
We are the art that changes the world, that farts around, that expresses individuality, that takes an unplanned process as a form, that is an idealized form of body and face, that tries to hide.
We are the art that is made of lines and boba, that creates experiences with an audience, that isn't afraid to be vulnerable, that compares cultural references through material forms, that reflects on emotions through gesture, that shakes the screen.
We are the art that uses abstract forms to create imaginary spaces, that is made of stutterings and glitter-glue and failed conversation, that shares an experience of time and space, that refuses to sleep at a reasonable hour, that sees ourselves in each other.
"All we are. All we are, we are. We are all, all we need." The chorus to Warlock's song "All We Are" acts as a point of entry into how the BFA 2020 graduating cohort sees themselves in relation to each other. Our works span different media, concepts, practices, and disciplines, and when we consider the care and dedication that each of us has put into being an artist throughout our degree studies, we realize that we have developed into a community of peers.
The concept of the anthem gives focus to how we have come to respect, care for and support each other as a group. The concept of the anthem is related to the space of the stadium, be it a church, arena or studio. Within these large spatial structures, people gather together, their chants unifying into one.
This sense of harmony is hard to sustain at a time like this, when our usual structures of support are crumbling. We are unable to physically connect to the people who ground us, who comfort our emotions and who help us think through our practices. If distance is our adversary, then Are We All We Are will become a stadium. We will take the dangers of distance and use them as our anthem, our weapon, our hope.
Presented with the School for the Contemporary Arts at SFU.
Events
Participatory Performance: Dance Like No One is Watching! with Opal Mclean
Saturday, May 2, 12 – 1pm
Join on Zoom
Join Opal Mclean as she engages with digital space through movement. Based on her performances in (Don’t) Make Me Dance (2020), which can be seen on Instagram at @sfugalleries, Mclean will host a dance party that invites the audience to join her in intuitive dancing. No experience required, just positive spirits and your song(s) of choice.
Participatory Performance: Playdate with Rachel Warwick
Sunday, May 3, 12 – 1pm
Join on Zoom
Sometimes the beginning of a friendship is as simple as having a conversation with a stranger.
Let’s talk!
Departing from her work Making Friends (In Theory) (2020), which can be seen on Instagram at @sfugalleries, artist Rachel Warwick will host a hangout on Zoom that lays a foundation for friendships to be built up from. Join in, ask questions and have questions posed to you.
Activity: Guided Walks (Quarantine Version) with Elisha Wang
Monday, May 4
@sfugalleries
Elisha Wang invites friends and strangers to interpret her digital publication Guided Walks — Awake or In Dreams (2020). Her instructional scores arise from close observations of the area around Audain Gallery, but are now presented for you to interpret and activate within your domestic spaces and immediate environment.
You can participate in this activity by selecting a piece of work from the publication, which is available for download below. Follow its instructions and record the process with your cellphone. Upload the video to Instagram using #guidedwalks2020 and tag @sfugalleries, and SFU Galleries will feature the guided walk as an Instagram Story on Monday, May 4.
Publications
Rachel Warwick
Aaron Lampitoc
Elisha Wang
