The Fort Gallery is taking over Fort 黑马磁力 Community Hall space for an artistic food fight during September.
The historic hall is the site for the pop-up exhibit 鈥�/st膩j/ 3.0鈥� by artist Gwenyth Chao. The experimental, living installation transforms the historic hall鈥檚 former library space into a hybrid kitchen-studio-science research lab. Chao's biodegradable sculptures challenge perceptions and understanding. The work is about how material processes and methodologies can disrupt colonial frameworks of creation and understanding.
The pieces are shaped through techniques like pouring, folding, casting and extrusion. They are intentionally ephemeral, inviting viewers to reflect on cycles of decomposition, the commodification of both waste and art, and the uncertainty of knowledge itself. Through a (re)imagined space of kitchen, studio, and lab workstations, Chao uses tools and materials often found in these spaces to create biomaterials she can then form into abstract sculptures. Using food scraps, such as eggshells, Chao combines traditional art making techniques with scientific and culinary processes.
As an interactive installation, /st膩j/ 3.0 invites the public to step into the role of researcher, engaging in acts of cooking, art-making, and scientific experimentation. Visitors will be encouraged to draw from their own lived experiences, collaborating with the artist and each other to challenge binaries between scientific 鈥渙bjectivity鈥� and other less valued ways of knowing.
Chao has had solo exhibitions at Open Source Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Science World, and the Centre culturel Georges-Vanier (Montreal, Que.) among others. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across Canada including the Design TO Festival (Toronto, Ont.), the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ont.), and University of British Columbia. Chao was a fellowship recipient at Vermont Studio Center鈥檚, an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre and an artist-researcher at the Art Gallery of Ontario鈥檚 Emerging Artist Exchange program. She was recently an AICAD fellow at Pratt Institute (Brooklyn).
The exhibit is up from Sept. 5 to 14 and is punctuated by various events. The opening reception is 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5. From there, Chao has scheduled a hands-on workshop with the artist on Sunday, Sept 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. and again on Saturday, Sept 13, also 2 to 4 p.m. Her Artist Talk and Tour will be on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 2 to 3 p.m. The events are free and open to the public.
The exhibit is open from noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14. From Sept. 8 to 11, viewing is by appointment only. Contact fortgalleryarc@gmail.com to book.
