Covid Forever
2023-24 Exhibition: Artwork
This small group exhibition commemorated the COVID-19 pandemic. The lives of everyone in the world were disrupted, and some of us were changed forever. Cities appeared empty as the world ground to a halt. We sheltered in place. Seven million people round the world died. After three years, we now live in different worlds. For many, COVID no longer exists and life went back to "normal". Some still take precautions like masking, and the medically vulnerable continue to isolate, For others it was all a hoax. Most of us took the vaccines, while some refused. What are the long-term effects? Did the world really change, or will the Covid pandemic ultimately disappear from general consciousness like the 1918 pandemic? For some, these lock-down months - or years, were an opportunity for self-reflection, What do I really want from my life? Who do I want to spend time with? Some people changed jobs, learned new skills, or worked from home - for good. Some people were exploited for labour, while others thrived. Imagery and themes in this show include corona viruses, variants of concern, face masks, social distancing, social bubbles, isolation, mass graves and the repetitive days of lock-down. Some artists were productive during the pandemic years and were able to focus on their work. Artists are often quite happy to be alone in a room, but perhaps not that alone.
Photography by Gareth Bate
Alison Schwabe
Carrasco, Montevideo, Uruguay
Curators
- Canada: Ontario: Toronto: Gareth Bate
- Canada: Ontario: Oakville: Dawne Rudman
Artists
- Canada: British Columbia: Nelson: Maggie Tchir, Ontario: Toronto: Susan Avishai, Bernadette Badali, Tracy Gorman, Michele Guevara, Honey Mitchell, Leanne Powers, Elaine Whittaker.
- Uruguay: Montevideo: Carrasco: Alison Schwabe.
Leanne Powers
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Synchronistic Curating
Something that's different about World of Threads Festival is that we let the art guide us. Festival curators Gareth Bate and Dawne Rudman don't have predetermined curatorial ideas or impose our concepts on the artists. Each new festival is a blank slate. Shows develop entirely out of the submissions we receive.
To find our main exhibitions we look for connections and common themes between thousands of artworks. These works were made by hundreds of artists from around the world. Often artists seem to be on the same wavelength during a particular period. Over time, through many hours of sorting through artworks, the exhibition themes just emerge and become clear to us. This method has been very successful and resulted in compelling and unique exhibitions.
Susan Avishai
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gallery
- The Corridor Galleries at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre.
City
- Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Dates
- Oct. 10, 2023 - Jan 24, 2024
Bernadette Badali
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Elaine Whittaker
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michele Guevara
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Maggie Tchir
Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
Tracy Gorman
Honey Mitchell
Toronto, Ontario, Canada