Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art

Artists: Sandra Brewster, Chantal Gibson, Sylvia D. Hamilton, Bushra Junaid, Charmaine Lurch, Esmaa Mohamoud, Michèle Pearson Clarke, and Gordon Shadrach.

This exhibition challenges preconceived notions of Blackness in Canada through the work of eight contemporary artists. The artworks use current and historical objects, images, and ideas to blur the longstanding perception that Black bodies belong on the edge of Canadian history. Though Canada is widely celebrated as a triumph of cultural diversity, dominant narratives have reduced the Black Canadian experience to one of an everlasting immigrant or newcomer. These artists question this by exposing deep historical traces of Black presence in our country. In presenting multiple voices and sensitivities, this exhibition disrupts simplistic and comforting narratives, while affirming the longstanding relevance of Blackness to the fabric of Canada.

Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art was developed by the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. This exhibition was curated by Dr. Julie Crooks, Assistant Curator, Art Gallery of Ontario, Dominique Fontaine, independent curator, and Dr. Silvia Forni, Curator of African Arts and Culture, ROM.