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Graduate Curating: PhD Candidate Fara Abn Curates an Exhibition at Canada Council Art Bank

By Emily Putnam

Save the date for the Doors Open Ottawa on Saturday, June 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Canada Council Art Bank.

The exhibit, called Visual Echoes, features prints, paintings, kinetic sculptures and woven pieces from several artists and explores the beauty and complexity of visual patterns as an art-making practice that transcends both cultural boundaries and time.

Fara Abn, a PhD candidate studying in Cultural Mediations at Carleton, curated the exhibition and structured its theme around visual patterns in life and art.

“I was interested in looking for layers of meanings in repetition not only as a visual pattern, but also a practice or a habit. When you are looking at an artist who weaves, the manipulation and the continuous work of the material embodies repetition as an artistic attitude.”

Installation view of Visual Echoes, Canada Council Art bank. Artists: Jacques Hurtubise, Andrea Mortson. Photo by Fara Abn.

She says the double meaning invites the viewer to analyze the patterns in their own life.

“There are so many acts and habits in our daily routines that we repeat over and over to a point that they lose their meanings. Just having a fresh perspective and being able to review those actions in a different way would be my hope.”

In explaining this shift of perspective, Abn nods to Frank Shebageget’s work, an Anishnabe (Ojibwa) artist featured in the exhibit.

“Looking at an artwork like Free Ride (2022) and its repetition of $5 bills, can be as simple as  recognizing the visual motif. But as the title suggests, there is a deeper conceptual elaboration underneath it. So, even in the context of this exhibition, where most of the selected artworks are visually captivating, there are certain hidden narratives that require some level of thinking and reflection on them.”

Installation view of Visual Echoes, Canada Council Art bank. Artist: Jane Kidd. Photo by Fara Abn.

Attendees can also take part in related on-site workshops to create their own visual patterns and discover how they can evolve and be amplified, aiming to disrupt the ways that our perceptions are shaped and reshaped.

Both the exhibit and workshops are free and open to the public.

Fara, who’s stay has now been extended at Canada Council beyond her practicum, says the experience she’s gaining is instrumental insight into her field of study.

“The fact that it has become a continuous and sustainable relationship with the team is the biggest rewarding part. I’m learning so much about Canadian institutions and working at the Art Bank has been a great opportunity to learn about their collection.”

She says her studies at Carleton have helped prepare her for this position.

Installation view of Visual Echoes, Canada Council Art bank. Artist: Gershon Iskowitz. Photo by Fara Abn.

“We have had great workshops and great courses. The course that I took on Indigenous curation with Carmen Robertson has been fundamental. I have been returning to my notes and to my readings, to remember and to remind myself continuously about the correct way and methodologies when writing, citing, referring, or even touching an Indigenous artwork. You have to keep all of those things in mind. So it’s definitely quite complementary.”

Those who are unable to attend the in-person viewing on June 1 or looking to amplify their visit will be able to download the Art Bank’s new app that allows even more access to the collection.

Fara was a main writer on the project and says it will also include the upcoming exhibit, Madweyàshkà (Like a Wave) at Âjagemô on June 18.

“It’s all part of an attempt and also mandate of the Art Bank to reach as many people as possible and in a more democratic way, be able to talk about the collection and talk about their activities and the artworks that they look after.”