Tereza Zelenkova, Oratory, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam
Drawing on mythologies and historical events associated with actual locations, Prague-based artist Tereza Zelenkova creates photographs that are often informed by her interest in literature and local histories, and convey a mysterious, timeless quality. CONTACT invited Zelenkova to create a site-specific installation of her work at Campbell House Museum—built in 1822, an inimitable landmark in Toronto’s urban centre.
Opened November 3, 2020; Re-opened July 28-September 25, 2021
Spring Bay, Mennonite Barn, 2019, oil on canvas, 54” x 84”
Campbell House Museum was pleased to welcome Ojibwe artistAnong Migwans Beam in a solo exhibit of her large-format oil paintings and watercolour studies. In these paintings, she exploresthemes that have emerged in her work over the past two years:
Looking at my life, and with my mother entering Alzheimer’s, I have been painting memories. My practice has always centred around water and how it holds and contains us, and is a silent witness again and again to all events, constantly renewed and present in us, as it was for our ancestors.
Anong was born to artist parents, Carl Beam and Ann Beam, who encouraged her to develop as an artist. She was raised with a meaningful connection to both her artistic family roots and her rich ancestral heritage.
This exhibit presented the first series of paintings where the artist has produced work using her own handmade oil paints:
There is an incredible circuity to making paint from rocks from Bay Fine near Killarney, then painting that same scene with those rocks that are now paint! Each image that I make I feel and I fall immersed in the history of painting, learning devices from those who have already travelled this path.
The works were displayed throughout the heritage spaces of Campbell House. Although Anong. Beam practises her art in a somewhat isolated place, on Manitoulin Island, her perception and vision reflect the contemporary art world and incorporate elements of daily life. Bringing her work into a historic house museum in downtown Toronto precipitates the contrast of rural and remote with the urban and immediate. By sparking a conversation about contemporary art through the lens of an artist from M’Chigeeng First Nation, the exhibitexpands upon a much bigger story of colonialism and of the rural-urban divide of art in Ontario.
The exhibit was guest-curated by Elka Weinstein, Vice-President of ICOM Canada, Past President of the Board of Directors of the John B. Aird Gallery, and former Director/Curator Campbell House Museum.
The artist created these works with the support of an Indigenous Artists grant from the Ontario Arts Council.
Thursday, November 5, 7:00 pm: Virtual opening and walk-through of the exhibit with Elka Weinstein, Curator of the exhibit. The artist will be in attendance.
Thursday, November 12, 10:00 am: Anong Beam will share her experience of making paints from materials gathered on Manitoulin Island.
Thursday, December 10, 10:00 am: Shirley Madill, Director of the Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery, will discuss Anong Beam’s paintings in the context of contemporary Indigenous art.
For Anong Beam at Campbell House, the museum was pleased to make the exhibit accessible to a wide audience:
Walk-up visitors could submit a donation, at any level, through our donation box in the front hall or by a contactless credit card donation.
For visitors who wished to pre-register, admission was $5 purchased through the Campbell House Museum website.
Online Event Recordings:
This video was recorded on November 5, 2020 and includes an exhibit walk-through by guest curator, Elka Weinstein, followed by a question-and-answer period with the artist, Anong Migwans Beam.
Questions asked by the video conference audience: How do you make your paints? When you are making your own paints can you precisely match the colours – so a red you make in June will it be the same as the red you make in September? What is your favourite piece currently on display? Do you paint from life, photo, imagination etc? How long did it take you to paint Deluge? It’s such a large scale, but with so much intriguing detail. Deluge seems accessible to all ages. Do you think of the viewer? What do you think of the Cadillac painting against the Campbell House wallpaper? Can you explain the dye transfer process?
Anong Migwans Beam discusses her paint making process and stories from her life on Manitoulin Island.
