An immersive collage of sound and colour, Sonia Boyce's Feeling Her Way opens in Toronto this fall
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, November 4, 2024


An immersive collage of sound and colour, Sonia Boyce's Feeling Her Way opens in Toronto this fall
Sonia Boyce, Feeling Her Way - Leeds Art Gallery (May 2023) © Rob Battersby.



TORONTO.- A vibrant installation centered on the vocal performances of four Black female musicians, Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way opens on Sept. 19, 2024, at the Art Gallery of Ontario in partnership with the 2024 Toronto Biennial of Art. Recipient of the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, stepping into this immersive exhibition is to become a part of the rehearsal process, as visitors encounter five colour-tinted videos, sounds both harmonious and clashing, wallpapers, posters, reflective gold geometric structures and a rich display of music memorabilia.

As a key figure in the Black Arts Movement in the early 1980s -- whose work was last seen at the AGO as part of Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art, 1950s–Now -- Boyce’s recent work explores the intersection of art and social interaction. Blurring the line between artist and audience, Boyce utilizes performance and audio-visual elements, encouraging collaboration, improvisation, and participation.

For Feeling Her Way, she set out to explore how listening to people vocalize freedom, imagination and playfulness can lead to new possibilities for the future. “My desire in bringing you together,” Boyce describes, “is to explore how you might feel free. What kind of conditions might you need to feel free to express yourself, when not constricted by what others feel you should be, or could be? What does it mean to feel free … and how might you play?’

Spanning two adjacent galleries, the centerpiece of the exhibition are videos featuring improvised vocal performances by acclaimed musicians Poppy Ajudha, Jacqui Dankworth MBE, Sofia Jernberg, and Tanita Tikaram. Recorded at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London and Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, the singers are guided by award-winning composer Errollyn Wallen CBE. Wallen leads them beyond the safety of their perfected and polished vocal stylings into a space of humour, discomfort, delight, and unguarded experimentation.​

These videos play amidst a vibrantly collaged backdrop of tessellating wallpaper, and reflective gold geometric seating. The surfaces of the gold geometric objects – referencing the mineral, Pyrite – reflect their surroundings and visitors as they approach, immersing them in the performance space.

Co-curated by Dominique Fontaine and Miguel A. López, with Emilie Croning, Curatorial Assistant, Arts of Global Africa & the Diaspora, AGO, Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is a highlight of the 2024 Toronto Biennial of Art. The Canadian presentation of Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is initiated and organized by the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art. Additional programming details will be announced closer to opening.

“Boyce’s ability to translate into sound and video the often-intangible qualities of collaboration and playfulness, stems entirely from her generosity and commitment to exploring what it means to give artists voice,” says Emilie Croning, Curatorial Assistant, Arts of Global Africa & the Diaspora, AGO.

"Sonia’s collaborative efforts, which always emphasize audience involvement, highlight cultural differences and their mediation within artwork and showcase the evolving dynamics between the artist, vocalists, and audience members," says Dominique Fontaine & Miguel A. López, co-curators, 2024 Toronto Biennial of Art.

Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way opens Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. for AGO Members, and to Annual Pass holders and the public on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Admission to Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is free for all Ontarians under 25, Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members and Annual Passholders. On view through April 6, 2025, same day tickets can be booked in person and online. For more details on how to book your tickets or to become a Member or Annual Passholder, visit AGO.ca.

Sonia Boyce DBE RA (born 1962) is a British interdisciplinary artist and academic working across film, drawing, photography, print, sound, and installation.

A key figure in the Black Arts Movement in the early 1980s, Boyce continues to address issues of race and gender in Britain. Her recent work explores the intersection of art and social practice. She utilizes performance and audio-visual elements, encouraging collaboration, improvisation, and participation to blur the lines between artist and audience.

In 2024, the artist received an DBE for art services in the King’s New Year Honours List and holds Honorary Doctorates from the Royal College of Art, The Courtauld, and Birmingham City University, UK. Her work appears in the collections of many British and international museums, including the TATE in London, Saastamoinen Foundation in Helsinki, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is presented at the AGO in partnership with the Toronto Biennial of Art 2024. The Canadian presentation of Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is initiated and organized by the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art. The work was originally commissioned by the British Council for the 59th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, 2022. The Biennial is on from September 21 – December 1 at venues across Toronto – for more information visit torontobiennial.org or @torontobiennial










Today's News

August 1, 2024

Chandler's art: Exploration of the future and reflection on humanity

What to see at 5 top art museums? We asked guards for their favorite works.

New Frontier lassos the best of the West for its Aug. 24 Cheyenne auction

Growing up in a broken home - how Legos brought this artist comfort and influenced his latest works

Yossi Milo to open 'Cameron Welch: Labyrinth' in September

Bark Salon hang on display in Wurrdha Marra this October

The Baltimore Museum of Art adds more than 200 new works to collection

Fotohof will present photo series from the 1980s by Lillian Birnbaum and Heidi Harsiebaum

Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris Marais to presents new sculptures by Tony Cragg

Smithsonian's National Postal Museum to open voting by mail exhibition

New portrait of Sam Smith from the singer's own art collection unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery

An immersive collage of sound and colour, Sonia Boyce's Feeling Her Way opens in Toronto this fall

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery to close for essential restoration work

A celebration of New York City in needles and ink

Richard Crawford, leading scholar of American music, dies at 89

'Job' review: The psychopath will see you now

'Earthalujah!': A rebel 'pastor' preaches for the planet

High Museum of Art announces three new board members

In 'Swan Song,' a ballet company confronts a painful legacy

Smithsonian scientists devise method to secure Earth's biodiversity on the moon

Essays by distinguished contemporary women celebrate the trailblazers who founded MoMA

Why Everyone's Buzzing About the Rose Sex Toy and Rose Vibrator

Innovative Melodies: Ian Kimmel Explores Ohio's Eclectic Music Scene

Applications of Holographic Stickers across Different Sectors

Is Y2Mate Safe? A Detailed Review of Its Pros and Cons

Best Free MP3 Converters of 2024: Reviews and Comparisons

Convert Any Image to Vector for Holographic Stickers

The Essentials of Poster Printing: An In-Depth Guide




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful