CURRENT EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
The James Black Gallery exhibits work in many mediums and forms. The space has a combination of elements that allow artists to be playful with the design and the usage of the space. We currently host indoor/outdoor workshops that are organized by community members, production rentals, and exhibitions.
After a Long Day
September 7th - 10th, 2023
opening reception September 7th 6-8 PM
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Vittoria Gay
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For most of my life, I have struggled with the feeling that I am watching my life from afar, constantly fighting to keep my mind from floating away. 'After a Long Day' is an antidote for my dissociation, not only in the catharsis of putting paint on a canvas but also in its subject. The pieces are an ode to drawing as they highlight an initial sketch of figures. Some are more abstract than others, but all visualize the feeling that arises with the intimacy of touch. I use a diverse colour palette to express an array of feelings. For example, Luke Warm shows a hand placed on the side of a face hot and warm with a dark surrounding. Blood rushes ot my cheeks, my eyes close, and all I feel is heat. Fixating on the body's sensations and physically retracing them on canvas has been vital in my life that has grounded me. After a Long Day implores you to remember the importance of human connection and to take a moment to stand with its effect.
Autonomous
September 29th, 2023
opening reception 7-10 PM
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Madison Reid
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“Autonomous” looks at the performative aspect of masculinity where material possession intertwines with the portrayal of desirability when seeking a partner.
In a world where we are often seen through the lens of our possessions, this exhibition examines how cishet men’s relationships with cars reflect not only a societal pressure to amass wealth and power, but also how the mask of masculinity often hides the true individual beneath.
Through a series of abstract figurative portraits, viewers are encouraged to explore the complicated link between men’s identity and the car, and to consider the car as a possible metaphor that mirrors men’s attitudes towards women.
Amateur
September 21st - 24th, 2023
opening reception September 21st 7-9 PM
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Sophia Bakos
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AMATEUR confronts painful sexual memories from adolescence. At fifteen I was harmed for the very first time. There would be similar occurrences to follow, each at the hands of adult men who eroticized my youth. Through AMATEUR, I examine the ways which these memories manifest in my present sexual identity. The series utilizes recycled textile and analog portraiture in the creation of needle-felted “polaroids”, rag dolls, and other image based textile accessories, each marred by a suggestion of sexual harm. Dissonance between youth and sex present in each work, marks the horrible absurdity of posturing teenage girls as objects of forbidden lust. AMATEUR is an ongoing project of self-analysis. In developing the series, I have come to understand that painful adolescent experiences have resulted in my association of sex with shame. As a result of this association, my sex is shrouded by overwhelming guilt — I feel as though my inner child is traumatized by my participation in sex. This inner child has also sustained in me an emotional and artistic connection to dolls, toys, and hello kitty, as depicted throughout AMATEUR. AMATEUR is motivated as well by tender conversations between myself and important women in my life, specifically with my closest friends Vittoria and Carolina. Myself, Carolina, and Vittoria are recurring characters throughout the series, appearing photographically in pieces such as What Comes After and I Said Something. Both women have served as my greatest muses for the project, as it is our discussions of sexual harm that have emboldened me to bare my wounds through AMATEUR.
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PAST EVENTS 2023
SHELTER COST
January 5th - 7th, 2023
Pod Residency Exhibition: Atiron, Jasmine Gerevas, & Michelle Lavoie
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"Shelter cost" highlights the current status of housing in "vancouver" showing the ever worsening living conditions for intersected folks using dioramas and other visual media. We have all experienced housing struggles to varying degrees, despite our different social statuses and upbringings. Our housing struggles have brought us together. Every separate piece is reflective of a barrier we have faced while seeking a home. We tried to use as many found and recycled materials as possible. We hope to create a dialogue and maybe spark new ideas for the future of housing.
HOME
Saturday January 21st, 2022 8PM-12AM
SAD MAG's 34th edition themed home will be having its launch party at the JBG as it's a fitting venue. Open to all free to enter. elsa dood dj will be spininng for us while we have bevvys in red solo cups, jello shots, and flip through the mag.
DissFunction of FUNKtion
March 2nd-5th, 2023
opening reception March 2nd 7:00pm
drop by March 3-5th 3:00-6:00pm
or by appointment via email & DM
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This immersive, multidisciplinary exhibition features the collaborative works of five emerging interdisciplinary artists: Ayesha Beg, Kaila Bhullar, Conor Day, Marwah Jaffar, and Carson Keller. The work includes projection-based installation, sculpture, dance, and sound art. Inspired by explorations of the relationship between the body, mind, and presence of technology, the artists created a perceptually-stimulating atmosphere that walks viewers through an abstract representation of their collective inner reflections. Various technological mediums and sensory components aid in the generation of a critical space that raises questions about the unknown and individual positioning.
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Located on the unceded and ancestral territory of the hÉ™nÌ“qÌ“É™minÌ“É™mÌ“ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xÊ·mÉ™θkÊ·É™yÌ“É™m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sÉ™lilwÉ™taɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and which has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.
This event is brought to you by the pod residency series at the JBG with support from @cityofvancouver & @bcartscouncil
Obsidian Tapes Vol. 4
January 14th 2022 - 10PM - LATE
a night of enigmatic music featuring live performances and DJ sets from Black Acid, Fifth of Lawrence, Kairo, Siadic, and Sumwun. These artists will guide you through a range of genres including dubstep, two step, downtempo, and drum and bass. For those who embrace the darkness and crave a unique musical experience, don't miss out on this chance to enter the shadows and discover what lies within.
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Featuring sets from:
Fifth of Lawrence (Live PA)
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$20 PRESALE / $25 DOOR
E-TRANSFER: OBSIDIANYVR@GMAIL.COM
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Standards of the event include safety, moderation, consent & inclusivity. Feel free to message Obsidian with any questions, concerns or accessibility information.
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5th Annual General Meeting
March 13th, 2023 630PM
The James Black Gallery invites all members and interested community to our third annual general meeting. We'll be appointing new board members, discussing the budget, and voting on any new changes to our structure.
Shapeshifters
April 1st, 2023 630PM
Romi Kim (they/them) Kendell Yan (she/they) Chris Reed (they/them)
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Come see the in progress works of the three week residency of Kendell Yan, Chris Reed, and Romi Kim, who explore the intersections of queer monsters inspired by myths and stories from their cultures. A common thread woven through Chinese, Cree, and Korean folklore is the notion of shapeshifters, fictional beings that can transform themselves from one physical form into another.
Hot Fruit Figure Drawing Series
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Sessions:
March 18th 2023 2-4PM
April 15th 2023 2-4PM
May 6th 2023 2-4PM
May 27th 2023 2-4PM
June 10th 2023 2-4PM
July 22nd 2023 2-4PM
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Hot Fruit Figure Drawing centers QTBIPOC models and artists. We want our sessions to allow for the full spectrum of intersectional identities. Sessions can range from classical nude figure drawings to fashion forward, where the model is free to express themselves through a lQqk. We are creating a space where models are free to center not only the figure, but their energy and personal expression. These sessions are led by previous studiomate Odera Igbokwe and developed in collaboration with Mango Sweet Tasty Beats.
Sessions are in-person but for accessibility sake will also include a Zoom component. Online Zoom participants are required to have their cameras on during the session, and are not allowed to record or take screenshots of any parts of the session.
Queer Arts Festival Community Show
Mon Jun 19 – Sat Jul 8
Exhibition open Wed thru Sat, 12 – 6pm
Opening Reception: Mon Jun 19, 7pm
Long regarded as the bedrock of the Queer Arts Festival, the Pride in Art Community Show honours the legacy of founder, activist, and Two-Spirit artist, Robbie Hong. Each year, QAF opens submissions to artists of all skills levels to submit their work, preferably centred around the festival theme. For the second year running, QAF has teamed up with queer partner-in-crime, The James Black Gallery, to showcase the otherworldly artwork of our local 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
Knots of Flows
August 20th - 26th , 2023
opening with shibari performance August 20th 7PM
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soya, parisa rafat, and reed jackson
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This residency is responding to shibari as an art form through which we experience our bodies as land, as queer nature, as sites of interconnection. We have been experimenting together toward making entanglement tangible: collaborating with rope, found object/beings, poetry, sound making, live video feedback projection, and somatic movement practices. Weaving our disciplines in co-respond-dance, we research queer/ecosexualities, tension, release, care, the grief, pleasures, and disorientations of ecological entanglement.
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Located on the unceded and ancestral territory of the hÉ™nÌ“qÌ“É™minÌ“É™mÌ“ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xÊ·mÉ™θkÊ·É™yÌ“É™m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sÉ™lilwÉ™taɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and which has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.
This event is brought to you by the pod residency series at the JBG with support from @cityofvancouver & @bcartscouncil
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Please Hold ----
April 27th, 2023 6PM opening
April 27-30th, 2023
Clara Conrado (she/her), Linda Serrano (he/him), Sam Street (she/her), Alisa Tarabrina (they/them)
A group art show showcasing collective and individual poetic explorations of glass, spring, motors, memory, glitter, sight, and venom, as objects of care, honesty, and
transference. The exhibition features several mixed media tapestries, installations, and projections combining found and documentary materials.
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bahay na babalik-balikan (a home to always return to)
June 10th-14th, 2023
opening June 10th 5-7PM
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Milan Franco Orosco, Milo Canlas, Sherine Menes, and jas calcitas
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“bahay na babalik-balikan” is a series of pieces curated by jas calcitas and created by Sherine Menes, Milo Canlas, and Milan Franco Orosco. The title, meaning “a home to always return to” in English, explores different ways and paths to confront the collective history of 2SLGBTQIA+ Filipinx people and merge it with the present day issues and harm done to our communities on the homeland and in the diaspora.
The creation of all of these pieces have come from our own memories, stories, and experiences as Queer and Trans Filipinx artists in the diaspora but all of them have been made and developed collectively within the community. They share intimacy and flow with each other as we delve into the ways that we have created our own definitions of home that may not be a physical place to return to. As we hold our exhibition days, we will be focused on sharing intimate moments of our installation within our communities.
Workshops on dynamic rope + body movement
August 21st, 2023
3-5PM and 6:30-8:30PM
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soya, parisa farhat, and reed jackson
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The Dance Centre
677 Davie St
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Two time slots of the same workshop are offered. Please dress comfortably and bring water. No rope-related experience required, rope will be provided but feel free to bring yours. Participants will be invited to move in pairs or solo.