ART MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Labour

Natalie Asumeng, La Tanya S. Autry, Tony Cokes, Chantal Gibson, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Martine Syms

September 4, 2024 – March 22, 2025
Curated by Ingrid Jones

Inspired by Claudia Rankine’s scholarship on microaggressions in Citizen: An American Lyric and themes of perceptibility, Labour seeks to unveil the invisible labour of the colonized. The exhibition challenges societal racial biases through the lens of Blackness and Indigeneity, exploring, among other concerns, how unseen labour might be unburdened and shifted onto the dominant. The evocative works in this exhibition examine white supremacy’s manifestation in institutional power paradigms and its corrosive effects on Black and Indigenous people and people of colour. In so doing, this exhibition operationalizes and reveals unseen labour while activating alternative teachings from Black and Indigenous perspectives

BLACKWOOD GALLERY, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

The Art Gallery Problem

Nikita Gale, Maïder Fortuné & Annie MacDonell, Matt Nish-Lapidus, Karthik Pandian, Paolo Patelli & Giuditta Vendrame, Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste

January 8 – March 5, 2025
Curated by Fraser McCallum

The “art gallery problem” is a well-known math problem with a simple premise: what is the minimum number of guards or surveillance cameras necessary to observe an entire gallery? Across different layouts and floorplans, the art gallery problem challenges math students to achieve full surveillance of a space using the minimum labour or technology. The problem is not put to use by major museums and galleries, despite replicating their standard practices for monitoring facilities. Even so, it remains a dominant understanding of art’s presentation. This exhibition appropriates the art gallery problem as a framework to consider how objects and bodies are put to work in galleries and museums. The “problem” is in fact not singular: there is far more to the presentation of art than the securitization of objects; there are problems of narrative, representation, hegemony, and access to knowledge.

In a Manner of Speaking

Scott Benesiinaabandan, Emily Cook, People Who Stutter Create (Jia Bin, Delicia Daniels, JJJJJerome Ellis, Conor Foran, Kristel Kubart), Wieteke Heldens, Seo Hye Lee, Logan MacDonald, S. Proski, RA Walden

January 8 – June 30, 2025

Curated by Karie Liao

In a Manner of Speaking (IMS) explores the longing to be understood, interrogating the limitations of language and the inadequacies of culturally dominant vocabularies. Structured like a book–a medium for sharing information and ideas–this three-part exhibition animates four outdoor lightboxes. Across three chapters, reading, speaking, and listening emerge as acts of invention and reinvention, shaped by diverse lived experiences. Artists reimagine communication, challenge colonial and ableist linguistic norms, and illuminate the intersections of identity, access, and expression. This tour highlights Chapter One: Encounter and Negotiation (January 8 – March 4, 2025), which considers how relationships and environments are formed, experienced, and adapted. It features work by Emily Cook, Seo Hye Lee, Logan MacDonald, and RA Walden.

Visit the The Art Gallery Problem and In a Manner of Speaking webpages on the Blackwood website and the Art Museum website for full program descriptions and artist bios.

Accessibility notes: While all stops on the tour are accessible and free of physical barriers, we regret that the shuttle bus is not accessible.

The Art Gallery Problem and In a Manner of Speaking tours will begin at the Blackwood Gallery, which is a physically accessible space. The Blackwood Gallery is located in room 140, on the ground floor of the the Kaneff Centre/Innovation Complex, which includes open spaces, round sloped corners, and windows to facilitate visual communication and navigation. Accessible multi-user gendered washrooms are located at ground level.

Some movement throughout the campus will be required—ramps and curb cuts are in place. Please note part of the tour will be in an unpaved area a short distance from a paved walking trail. Its surface is hard-packed mulch. For more details, download a printable map of the exhibition sites on campus.

If you have questions about accessibility or have specific access needs, please contact a Blackwood Gallery staff member at [email protected] or 905-828-3789.