Saturday, May 26, 2007
14:00 - 17:00
UBC Robson Square theatre

Held in conjunction with Limits of Tolerance: Re-framing the Multicultural State Policy, this symposium brings together artists and curators who will engage with the question of politicizing difference in a historically informed manner. The purpose of this symposium is to explore creative ways to go beyond the worn out discourses of an essentialist identity, and to shed light on the present state of the arts in Canada.

With limits of tolerance drawn and re-drawn, the terms of tolerance need to be questioned. Who gets to tolerate whom? In what ways can artists, curators and cultural facilitators disrupt the status quo and make room for more than a handful artists dealing with issues of difference? In grappling with these questions, the symposium will attempt to deconstruct the perceived and real categories of the "margins" or the "tolerated."

The speakers will discuss topics such as new art media, curatorial strategies in exhibiting artworks in a politicized way, and creative ways of conceptualizing identity and history. The symposium will initiate a productive conversation that will reflect on the history of identity based works, and will look ahead in the directions of changing discourses around difference.

Speakers:

Candice Hopkins is the Director/Curator of Exhibitions at the Western Front artist-run centre. She has an MA from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, NY. Her writing is featured in many journals and publications, and has given talks internationally and nationally. She is currently co-curating the exhibition entitled Shapeshifters, Timetravellers, and Storytellers at the new galleries of the Royal Ontario Museum, opening October 2007.

Laiwan is an artist and writer recognized for her interdisciplinary practice based in poetics and philosophy. After graduating from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1983, she started the OR gallery in Vancouver. She has initiated various curatorial projects, as well as exhibiting widely in Canada, the US, Japan and Europe. She engages in public discourse through panel discussions, conferences, symposiums and lectures at a variety of venues including galleries, universities and art programs. She currently teaches at Goddard College in the MFA program in Interdisciplinary Arts, Vermont.

Keith Langergräber is a Vancouver based artist who has been exhibiting his installation work in galleries in Canada and the United States. He received his BFA from the University of Victoria and an MFA from the University of British Columbia. He has made numerous presentations related to his artwork and research. He currently teaches at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.

For more information, please go to the exhibition page.