MakeRoom + Yonge-Dundas Square: Kindness & Community Care Collection
Learn more about the Call for Artists at makeroom.me/community-kindness-collection
On the Digital Screens from April 1 to 30, 2024
Yonge-Dundas Square and MakeRoom Inc. are excited to announce the featured artists for the Community Kindness Collection: Hello Anson, Cristal Buemi, Kanna Anigbogu, Nina Yang, and Segun Caezar.
This exhibition opportunity invited five (5) artists to submit works that showcase their interpretations of kindness and community. Artists were asked to consider how their art can cultivate feelings of kindness and unity in the vibrant and busy Yonge-Dundas Square.
ABOUT THE KINDNESS & COMMUNITY CARE COLLECTION
Art can be an act of kindness – A gift to the self, a gift to others, or a gift to the public. Art can also be an offering to the community, illuminating spaces with new ideas and strengthening the social fabric of our city.
Yonge-Dundas Square is among the most visible and visited outdoor public spaces in Toronto. MakeRoom held an open call to invite artists to explore how art can foster feelings of kindness and connectedness in this space.
This collection was guest-curated by Jasmine Gui.
Jasmine’s note:
That the root word for kindness is the word, “kin”, speaks to me, of the ways in which acts of generosity, support and consideration both confirm and create intimacies and relationships between people.
In the pieces selected for this collection, kindness moves boldly and assuredly even as it is gentle and tender. Whether oriented toward the bodied self, beloved others or communal spaces, the works draw us in for a shared moment of recognition. They invite us to bear witness to the stories and emotions they hold, and ask that we be comforted in our momentary rest. In this current moment, the quiet gestures of these artists might just be what we need to continue on our journeys.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Hello Anson
Artist: Hello Anson
Artist bio
Anson Ng is a mixed media painter and sculptor whose practice celebrates themes of nature, seasonality, and how they can change our perception of the mundane and the places we share. His process involves spending time immersed in the physical world painting outdoors and/or using found materials for his sculptures.
About the ArtwORK
Reflections of Chinatown
Reflections of Chinatown began at my parents' restaurant — growing up in a kitchen and the neighborhood of Chinatown on Spadina and Dundas. Having closed our restaurant many years ago, these artworks archive and capture other businesses using digital painting and photography. Highlighting the neighborhood's vibrancy and warmth, these depictions draw inspiration from the neon lights and rain.
Website: helloanson.com
Instagram: @hello.anson
Kanna Anigbogu
Artist: Kanna Anigbogu
Artist bio
Nigerian artist Kanna Anigbogu has a unique approach to linework and gestural imagery. His artwork fuses movement, playful experimentation, Igbo inspiration, and mystery to express imaginative tales that are full of mood, feeling and adventure.
About the ArtwORK
Black Joy
One of a series of four, Black Joy speaks of the most essential benefit of community: interaction. My inspiration for this piece include, friendship within the black community, the importance of which is noticed in one’s earliest years, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose artwork employs simple irreverent lines to emphasize deep relevant messaging.
Website: artbykanna.com
Instagram: @kingkxnna
Segun Caezar
Artist: Segun Caezar
Artist Bio
Segun Caezar, a Nigerian visual artist based in Canada, boldly blends vibrant colours, simple shapes, and realism to craft a compelling visual language. His work is guided by his vision of breaking down systemic barriers and elevating the narratives of the African people. Caezar's art challenges preconceived notions and fostering a more inclusive dialogue. His creations serve as a bridge between Canadian and African experiences, weaving a tapestry of shared humanity.
About the ArtwORK
Soul Sisters;
Kodu;
He She or they?
These works serve as a poignant reminder of the importance of kindness in fostering unity and empathy among individuals. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on their own roles within their communities and to consider the impact of their actions on others. Through meaningful conversations sparked by the artwork, it becomes a catalyst for building a more compassionate and inclusive society.
Website: icaezar.com
Instagram: @icaezar
Cristal Buemi
Artist: Cristal Buemi
Artist Bio
Cristal Buemi is a Puerto Rican Canadian multidisciplinary artist (stop motion animation, video art, photography, collage and digital design). Her work pushes frame by frame boundaries by exploring the materiality and inherent beauty found in the minutia, through an experimental, and ecological lens. Her collaborative and individual works have been exhibited worldwide including: Animac, Harbourfront Centre’s CoMotion Festival, Fashion Art Toronto, and broadcasted on AMC and HBO. Cristal’s passion for creative expression has enabled her involvement in art education with various organizations such as OCADU, TIFF, TAIS, North York Arts, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada.
About the ArtwORK
Natural Self-Care
“Wabi-Sabi”- a theory derived from Buddhist teachings is focused on beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” with a general appreciation of the integrity of natural objects and their processes. If we are able to truly be inspired by the beauty in “flaws” that surround us in the natural world, we can begin to make the same connection and effort for ourselves. This act of kindness can only begin within oneself. Borrowing from this concept, my work aims to highlight the importance of self-care, and self-love as an act of kindness to promote connectedness and healing within ourselves, community and our surroundings.
Website: cristalbuemi.com
Instagram: @cristaclear_
Ning Yang
Artist: Ning Yang
Artist Bio
Ning is a Chinese-Canadian illustrator, designer and public artist. With an interest in culture, storytelling, and image-making, Ning uses her array of disciplines to work with clients in editorial illustration and visual identities design. She has illustrated for Noema magazine, Study Hall, gal-dem, and the Drift. Ning is a lifelong reader and first found herself studying illustration because of her fascination with magazine culture.
About the ArtwORK
Queering Death: We have the power to reimagine how we die and how we mourn
This piece celebrates resilience and it involves examining and challenging traditional societal norms, values, and practices related to death through a queer lens. I was inspired by the long horizontal format that hinted at queer history as a rich tapestry and completed my digital illustration in this format. Style wise I used broader and expressive brushes & mark-making to reflect the exuberance that can come from communities queering grief, bringing pleasure, community activism and a sense of freedom to the often traditional ritual of death care.
Website: ning-illo.com
Instagram: @7.ning
ABOUT MAKEROOM
MakeRoom Inc is an arts organization and curatorial agency that provides BIPOC and Emerging artists platforms to exhibit their work. We partner with organizations to develop funded opportunities for artists that are inclusive and community enriching. We achieve this by using practices that eliminate gatekeeping and nepotism from the curation process, and by actively involving members of the arts community.
Website: MakeRoom.me
Instagram: @makeroominc
ABOUT CURATOR
This collection was guest-curated by Jasmine Gui.
Jasmine Gui is a Singaporean-born interdisciplinary artist, arts programmer, and researcher based in Tkaronto. She works in paper, ceramics, tea and experimental book formats through an interdisciplinary arts and publishing space, Teh Studio. She is 1/4 of "a momo room" zine, and 1/2 of the creative duo, jabs.
Website: tehstudio.ca
Instagram: @jaziimun
