A Witch is Born Out of the True Hungers of Her Time

September 14th to October 20th, 2018

 
 

A Witch is Born Out of the True Hungers of Her Time: Guillaume Adjutor Provost, Shanie Tomassini

TAP is proud to present a two-person exhibition; artists Guillaume Adjutor Provost and Shanie Tomassini. The title of this exhibition A Witch is Born Out of the True Hungers of Her Time is a quote taken from Ray Bradbury’s short story Drink Entire: Against the Madness of Crowds included in the book Long After Midnight (1976). The story takes place in New York City in the middle of a nocturnal heat wave that forces the main protagonist to ride the night subways in search of a precious cool breeze. Written in the mid-seventies, it is an entangled tale about capitalism under extreme climate and the pressure for productivity.

The short story becomes loosely a reference in Guillaume Adjutor’s and Shanie’s collaborative exploration of the impact of climate change on eco-anxiety, a type of anxiety that is more generalized than ever. This exhibition proposes that apart from individual actions that feel inconsequential to the mitigation of the problem, there is an urgency to rethink our societal structures; not by putting humanity at the core of the issue but by challenging the systems that enable environmental destruction.

If a witch can represent simultaneously an antidote and a poison, the title calls to consider what are the true hunger of our time.

Guillaume Adjutor’s practice can be seen as conceptual materialism in which the artist refers to counter-history: Quebec vernacular imagery, queer experiences, poetry, and science fiction. He works and lives in Montreal. Shanie Tomassini’s sculptures are guided by physical and conceptual attempts to challenge the integrity of objects. Using a wide array of techniques, Shanie is in constant pursuit of newness by attempting to isolate the substance of a form. She lives in Austin, Texas where she is currently pursuing an MFA.

Thanks to Galerie Hugues Charbonneau and to the University of Texas at Austin for their collaboration

Press:

IntoThis Podcast, Episode #19, September 21 (2018)

Canadian Art, Agenda (2018)