I am land that speaks

Curated by Maya Wilson-Sanchez.

Artwork by Eric Gallardo, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Ishtar’s International Network of Feral Gardens, Alvin Luong, MADEYOULOOK, Chris Mendoza, Lisa Myers, Waard Ward, Tania Willard.

This exhibition brings attention to stories that come directly from the land. Engaging with storytelling practices specific to a certain place, the artworks in this show highlight history-making as a site-specific exercise. I am land that speaks is the third and final chapter of the I am land exhibition series that considers how artists take on the role of chroniclers. From Eric Gallardo’s and Tania Willard’s collaboration with and acknowledgment of other-than-humans, to Lisa Myers’s, MADEYOULOOK’s, and Chris Mendoza’s exploration and criticism of land development and private property, the show reflects on the destructive relationship we continue to have with our environment while also proposing changes that will improve our collective existence. It also expands on the work of the chronicler by opening up time into non-linear explorations of the future, with artists Alvin Luong and Cannupa Hanska Luger presenting documents of speculative futures. Exploring embodied connections to land, this exhibition also includes off-site gardens and virtual programs that involve participatory and community-based methods for learning and growing together. I am land brings up ideas of public history and empowers collective history-making, demanding that our public spaces reflect our past, present, and future. 

I am land that speaks is the third and final chapter of the I am land exhibition series curated by Maya Wilson-Sanchez for ArtworxTO—Toronto’s Year of Public Art.

How does land inform our stories? What kinds of histories are shown publically? When do our personal stories become part of dominant history?

I am land is a three-part exhibition series that explores the role of the artist as a chronicler. Many artists have a deep interest in representing the past, exploring the present, and imagining the future. This series and its public programs highlight and celebrate how individuals and communities have the power to create their own histories. The titles of the exhibitions are inspired by Fausto Reinaga, a Quechua philosopher who wrote “I am land that thinks” as a way to explain the interconnectivity and collective assemblages of land, humans, and non-humans. The stories and histories that make up who we are created through our links to place and our affiliations and kinship to those around us. By exploring varied themes and diverse artistic practices, these exhibitions explore the process of creating history publically and collectively.

For information about upcoming programs and events, click here.

Contact hubsouth [​at​] artworxto.ca for questions or media inquiries.

ArtworxTO Hub South Union Station directions
The exhibition is located in the West Wing and Oak Room inside Union Station. There is also an installation in the Front St. Promenade Vitrine. Wayfinding signage is present. This exhibition series is accessible.

Hours
Union Station is open daily from 5:30am to 12:45am. ArtworxTO staff are onsite to answer questions and facilitate tours 7 days a week, from 11am to 7pm.